Captains
by cherrymelle
Summary: A huge reward on his head, a crew who doesn't take him seriously, a few vindictive ex girlfriends and a vicious curse which sticks like a bad smell. The fearsome pirate Shinigami thinks it can't get worse. A stalkerish Heero will prove him wrong. YAOI 1x2
1. The Governor's Daughter

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: PG-13 for now

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing

SUMMARY: The Caribbeans in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aside from being about pirates, doesn't have much in common with the popular movie currently airing and was actually begun before the first movie so don't expect a crossover or whatever else like that.

Chapter 1 : The Governor's Daughter.

In a luxurious room on the second floor of the Palace of the Governor of Sank, a young man stretched leisurely while slowly escaping sleep. Contrary to popular beliefs, he was always alert on mornings, but he was used to hide it, preferring to slowly assert his surroundings before opening his eyes.

In just mere seconds he came to terms with four unusual things. First, he was clearly not in his own cabin, second, he was not sleeping alone, third, it was much later than his usual wake-up time, and finally, the only real unusual thing, he was completely rested. This last fact surprised him enough to push him to dispel the last remnants of slumber gripping at his consciousness. He opened his eyes to discover the identity of the woman resting beside him... Relena!

He stopped himself from laughing out loud. So, the little princess was finally good for something. That was the only logical conclusion when waking for the first time in years from a night without dreams, or more exactly without nightmares. She managed to tire him enough to keep the darkness at bay, he almost wanted to hold her... almost. Finally recalling the events of the previous night, he concluded however that the eve's exhaustion resulted more from the acute boredom of her inane chatter rather then from her actual sexual prowess.

He pondered a moment. Did the need of restful nights weigh more than the horrendous idea of Miss Peacecraft's regular company? ... No! Definitely not! He would end up strangling her and didn't give himself more than a few days, at the most. God have mercy upon the poor soul she would marry.

He suddenly felt a bit petty criticizing the poor girl when he had shamelessly enjoyed her advances. He might have been too used to these spoiled rotten girls, supposedly innocents, who tried to seduce him, attracted by his dangerous aura, like moths to a flame. They liked the pirate/captive game, smitten by his rough and cruel, yet winning and playful manners, never totally sure that they would come through unscathed.

As for himself, he accepted these attentions wholeheartedly, glad to be able to satisfy his needs without having to hire prostitutes. He knew there was less chance to catch some shameful disease in these satin sheets than in some brothel. Not because the "ladies" were chaster, but because they had the good taste to favor a much needed hygiene, and to choose their lovers on this same criteria. He wondered when he became so cynical. Or had he always been?

In all fairness, he had some other reason for doing "ladies" rather than whores. The same exact reason for which he attracted the "ladies" in fact: the taste of danger. He liked to seduce honest women, not for the pleasure of dirtying them, but for the adrenaline he felt each time, slipping in their bedrooms, daring to be caught by their father, husband or brother. Risking being maybe recognized and being hanged at sunrise. Not that he was willing to die, but he had always found dancing with death kinda exciting. After all, he knew many women who enjoyed much more twisted preliminaries.

This time however, with the Governor's daughter, he might have pushed it too far. Most of the garrison might have been away on maneuver, but introducing oneself in the lion's den was still suicidal. If he learned of his latest whim –and he inevitably would- his friend Wufei would lecture him good. Blah... anyway, that wasn't like he really listened his friend on such occasions.

A loud bugle stopped his thoughts cold. Relena didn't even twitched, she slept like the dead. He needed a few moments to get out of her embrace and a few more to free his braid she had come to grip during the night. All the good thoughts he had for her evaporated at once: restful night or not, NO-ONE was allowed to touch the braid.

When he finally managed to escape Relena's hold, he walked to one of the windows, naked as the day he was born. He had a dreadful foreboding, like the ones which often saved his life. The bugle meant Military presence and they shouldn't be here for yet two or three days. That is what Relena told him the previous week when he met her at this sweet -what's-her-name- dressmaker. She couldn't have lie to him. It would be entirely too stupid of her. She wasn't much in the brains' department but there had had to be some instinct for self-preservation in this pretty scatterbrain.

Relena knew how dangerous he was and that he wouldn't hesitate to slit her throat should he think she lured him in a trap. What's more, even if she hoped he'd spare her once her betrayal unveiled, she wasn't in a much better position. As the respectable Governor's daughter, recently engaged to a promising officer of the navy, being caught in bed with a pirate wasn't the best way to attract attention. Even if she succeeded in convincing everyone he forced her -which was a blatant lie, he still remembered the shameless way she threw herself at him- her reputation would still be forever ruined, and she wouldn't have any choice but to go hide herself in the country, far away from Society. This time wasn't kind with women who didn't care about their reputation.

It was hard to think that even Relena had done something so stupid. Not that he understood anything about feminine logic. In truth, he didn't know that much women. He wasn't interested enough in his lovers to take the time chatting with them, and the only other woman he had frequented on regular basis since the sisters of the catholic orphanage who raised him, was Meiran. He honestly doubted that the latter was a good model of femininity, as she was almost as arrogant, vindictive, bad-tempered and sarcastic as Wufei himself. And that was a feat in itself.

However, as he looked down in the courtyard through the window, he had to accept the truth. The entire Infantry's regiment was there, lead by the Governor, probably on their way back from maneuver. The "lady" was really an idiot and he was in an impossible situation. Even an infiltration's expert like himself would be hard-pressed to fool two hundred soldiers while exiting the Palace. This time, Wufei would really give him a hard time... well if he managed to escape and go back to Deathscythe anyway.

He needed a plan, and he needed it fast. First, getting rid of the "lady". She could still be of use alive but he didn't want to risk her shouting or trying to escape. Logically, if the soldiers hadn't yet invaded the room, it should have been that they didn't know he was there. So, it was no use to attract attention when it wasn't yet necessary.

He deftly untied the curtains' rope and grabbed a scarf before silently getting back to the bed. She still slept soundly. Without letting her the time to react nor even to wake fully, he solidly tied Relena's wrists and ankles to the bedposts, while an improvised gag forbid her to utter the slightest word at the risk of choking her. Calmly, he dragged a chair to the bed and straddled it to observe her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright, if somewhat still glazed by sleep. She didn't appear worried at all, but rather aroused like it was all a new game. Slightly incredulous, he asked:

"Miss Peacecraft? Would you, by chance, know why the Infantry's regiment which isn't expected before Monday is presently entering the main courtyard following the Governor himself?"

The woman's eyes opened wide in obvious surprise and she seemed to get panicked fast. Both reactions didn't look fake and he doubted that Relena was so good an actress –such talent would have required more cleverness than she possessed. Well, Relena wasn't guilty. That was comforting in a way. His pride would have been dealt a severe blow if he had been fooled by this idiot. That said, the problem remained: how could he get himself out of this?

The annoying thing when one is the infamous Captain Duo Maxwell, also known as Shinigami, and when one is wanted dead or alive with his face on all the walls of the Caribbeans on top of an enticing reward, is that when happening on two-hundred soldiers, one is bound to be recognized.

While scanning the room in the hope of a solution, his eyes stopped on a mess of boxes and fabrics. There were Relena's latest purchases which had been delivered the day before. The previous night, he had spent an especially boring half hour while she showed him her new dresses, coats, hats and other such frills. A particularly evil idea came suddenly to his mind.

Twenty minutes later –the best he could do in such unknown territories- Shinigami, terror of the oceans, was carefully studying his new appearance. He looked rather convincing, yet would have prefer a second opinion to reassure him. He would have to rely on his legendary luck and on the sheer stupidity of the soldiers, who shouldn't suspect his true identity upon seeing him in such a dress. While turning back to the bed, he noticed the expression Relena wore: amazement and... yes something akin to jealousy. He smirked broadly, it looked like his little subterfuge could work after all.

Deciding that the poor girl didn't deserve to be ostracized by her peers, Duo took the time to slacken her ties. With some effort, she should manage to untie herself, but by that time, he would be crossing the iron gates. Finally he walked to the door with careful steps, already immersed in his role.

A little further, while rounding a corridor, he crashed on a muscular chest. For a day which had begun so well... Looking up he dove directly in the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. A dark blue, with a slight touch of metallic grey, which reminded him of the color of the sea before a storm. Silent eyes, undecipherable, speaking of depths and dangers. He thought with humor that if he had such eyes instead of his laughing demon's ones, he wouldn't need his evil grin to terrorize his enemies. Coming back to reality, he took a step back.


	2. The Perfect Soldier

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R (some parts will be NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, cross-dressing, might be slightly OOC at times

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

BETA: The talented **OneWingedShinigami** to whom I owe a great deal of thanks for the many clever improvements she contributed to.

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

Chapter 2 : The Perfect Soldier.

Navy blue eyes, almost violet, the exact colour of a summer's night, bronze hair braided in a crown resting upon the brow, a heart-shaped face, a finely curved mouth barely darkened by a bright gloss and unending lashes shading pink cheekbones with each blink. It was the loveliest creature he had ever seen. She might not have agreed with the canons of beauty with her sharp nose, large forehead and arrogant chin, but he didn't know any man who wouldn't have crawled at her feet. She gave off a magnetic vitality, as if you could feel she would offer herself entirely, if only you just asked. And if you tasted her just once, you would be spoiled for the rest of the world.

He wanted her the instant he saw her and his eyes went caressing down the long swan-like neck powdered in the same way as her face, disheartened to find a piece of lace hiding the low neckline of the mauve dress. Her waist was thin, nicely curved and their brief collision had allowed him to notice that it wasn't thanks to a corset. The skirt was long, brushing the floor causing him to uncomprehendingly mourn not being able to catch a glimpse of ankles he imagined to be slender.

For the first time that day he didn't regret getting up that morning. And yet, god knows he had been cursing and pleading with all known deities until this unexpected meeting. Suddenly the morning had brightened and if it hadn't been as alien an expression as it was for him, he would have smiled.

He had woken up by five thirty simply because it was ingrained in him. Seconds later however, he noticed his terrible hangover and his apparent lack of sleep. He wondered how he had accomplished this miracle. He had momentarily contemplated staying in bed, but he knew his reputation wouldn't have survived. The Captain Lowe, as was well-known, was invulnerable, he wasn't human, he was the "Perfect Soldier". If people heard that the Captain Lowe indulged in a late morning rise, half his subordinates would die from heart attacks while the others would call an exorcist. The thought made him grimace in self-derision or maybe rancour. His head hurt too bad to dwell on such matters.

By will alone, he had extricated from his bed and worked to make himself presentable. He had tirelessly cursed himself for giving in to the new recruits who had dragged him around the pubs of the town and wondered how he had managed to crash back in his own bed. At six sharp, he was leaving his quarters, with his impenetrable mask firmly in place, maybe a little more wrinkled and bruised than usual but no less imposing. He wondered, as he did each morning with an humour that no-one came close to suspect, how many soldiers he would make cry on this fine day.

That was when he noticed the young manservant waiting in front of his office door. He had dutifully read the message brought to him and had cursed himself for not having followed his instincts pleading for him to stay in bed. At least, in his bedroom, nobody would dare to disturb him not even to deliver a message, however pressing. No one in the barracks was suicidal enough to invade his privacy, they were much too scared of his legendary outbursts. Sometimes he felt like an ogre, but overall he preferred it that way. People didn't bother him, they kept their distance and that was what he wanted. Yes... it was! Wasn't it...?

Yet, the eve's night, at least the part he remembered, had been kind of... nice. The fresh recruits had insisted on offering a toast to their newly appointed Captain. He had let himself be dragged thinking it would be less tiring than arguing with those idealistic brats who knew nothing of the ugliness of war. Yes, the night had been pleasant and for a while he had let himself dream he was one of them. But, having never been that naive, he knew they wouldn't stay that way for long either. Soon enough, they would become bitter and power-hungry as so many before them and, on the way, they would have learned to fear and hate the Captain Lowe. They would respect him still of course but there wouldn't be other playful evenings out. That might have been why he had joined them in the first place, in the hope to belong for once, to not be so lonely anymore...

He had been furiously crumpling the paper held tight in his clenched hand, going over each word of the message in his head. He loathed to obey the order, not so subtly masked in suggestion. When The Commander Jay Lowe was suggesting something, it was a good idea to take it as the order it was meant to be and it was a very bad one to contest any part of it. He knew he would do exactly what was expected of him, like the obedient grandson he was. He would go welcome the Governor at the town's gates and would escort him to the Palace. He would lick his boots, would praise the progresses of the Infantry who were coming back from manoeuvres, would discuss inept matters with the pompous old man, and would inquire about his "lovely" daughter's well-being. When he would have so cleverly broached the subject and played the role of the perfect son-in-law long enough, he would be politely dismissed and encouraged to go play his other role, the one of the perfect lap dog to his insufferable fiancée.

Visiting Relena was always a drudgery, but today, maybe because of his hangover, it seemed even more unbearable than usual. It was painful enough to be submitted to the annoying _princess's_ inane babbling when he was in the best of health, but with this unrelenting headache, it would be hell on earth. He wondered what he had done to deserve this, but knew better. The Commander Lowe had been clear enough: Heero Yuy Lowe was nothing before his grandfather took him under his wing, he was deeply indebted to him, and the old man wouldn't let him forget that. If Jay Lowe had decided that his unique grandson would marry the Governor's daughter, it would happen and there was nothing left for discussion. Heero knew the price there was for discussing orders. It had taken him years to understand, years to suffer the beatings, the recriminations, the punishments, but the day had come when it didn't matter anymore and he finally became what his grandfather wanted: the "Perfect Soldier," the one who brought all honours to his name, the one who didn't know anything but to obey. Nevertheless, sometimes, behind the emotionless mask he offered the world, he felt like screaming.

The beginning of the morning had rolled exactly how he had expected; doing curtsies to the Governor and the handful of high dignitaries who were accompanying him. Among them, he hadn't been surprised to see the Commander Lowe, who had laid an approving hand on his shoulder with an obscenely smug expression on his decrepit features. Wasn't it nice to hear his little soldier asked "how high?" when prompted to jump? Heero had needed all the back up of the remembered inhuman training the old man had forced on him in the past to keep his stoic attitude on and not shake the hand that weighed on him like the shackles on a slave's wrists. As he had foreseen, the Governor had suggested he went to see Relena in her apartments, to announce her father's return.

He wondered idly how Miss Peacecraft could have missed the arrival of an entire Infantry's regiment when her windows looked out onto the courtyard. It was ten and he doubted she was still in bed. She was probably sitting at her desk, answering the numerous invitations that came in abundance to the Palace, all the more since the announcement of their impending betrothal. He had naively hoped that once his wooing was completed and the date of the nuptials arrested, he would have some quiet months before the wedding. But of course not! It would have been reckoning without the Commander Lowe's machiavellism who wouldn't take the risk to see his prey free itself now that it had been so well harpooned. And that was how he found himself in this nightmare, cursing silently, while he walked reluctantly towards Relena's rooms. Then came the collision and when he threw his usual glare at whoever had the misfortune to crash into him, he discovered an angel.

The two youngsters must have stayed a good five minutes staring at each other silently before Heero finally came back to himself. Not that he had shown any of his emotions on his face, mind you, but inwardly, the mysterious woman had shaken him deeply and he felt guilty. Lecturing himself, he soon found his voice and good manners back.

"I apologize for my clumsiness; I wasn't looking where I was going. I am the Captain Lowe; I don't think I had the pleasure to meet you Miss..."

He perceived as hesitation in the young lady, soon forgotten when he heard her answer him in a slightly hoarse voice which worked wonders on his nether regions.

"...Winner... Miss Helen Winner. Lowe...? I've heard that name. Aren't you Miss Relena's fiancé?"

"Indeed. I was actually on my way to her apartments to inform her of the Governor's early return. May I inquire of the reason of your presence in these corridors?"

"Oh... Where are my manners? I am one of Miss Relena's friends. Seeing that I was in town, I seized the occasion to visit her. Unfortunately, I found her unwell, which is why I was departing so hastily. So you see I am as much a guilty part in our collision."

"I didn't know Relena was ill, maybe I should..."

"...let her rest! It's only a slight fever but you know how we women dislike having people see us in any other way than our best. Miss Relena would be distressed if you saw her with her nose and eyes all red. Anyway, she was already informed of her father's return so there is no reason to disturb her."

Heero certainly wasn't going to argue. He wasn't really enthused to see a healthy Relena to begin with, let alone suffering her presence when she was ill. He could bet she made a terrible patient. What's more, if he could avoid this unpleasant visit, it would let him have all the more time to spend with the exquisite Miss Winner. He mourned the fact that the young woman knew he was already engaged, but no one could stop him from at least enjoying her company. After all, it wasn't like he was doing anything wrong. He gallantly offered her his arm, impatient to feel the little hand gloved in silk on his uniformed sleeve.

"Would you let me escort you back, Miss Winner? I didn't see any carriage in the courtyard; would you need to have one put at your disposal?"

"Thank you very much, but it won't be necessary. I am at fault, I thought I would stay longer and my cockerel is only due in two hours. I will take the public coach."

"Very well, I'll do as you please. You will let me hail one for you I hope."

"I would appreciate it."

They conversed pleasantly about various harmless matters while they walked back along the hallways Heero had travelled not fifteen minutes earlier. In front of the Palace, they came across many soldiers stunned both by the unusual gallant attitude of the Captain Lowe and by the beauty of the mysterious woman. Every one of them, from the most anonymous cadet to the most elegant officer, bowed before the couple, openly admiring. There wasn't a single trace of the Governor or of his high dignitaries. Heero was guessing they had retreated in Peacecraft's office, which was working perfectly well for him. It would have been embarrassing to be caught wooing a young lady who was not his fiancée by the father of the latter, and the Commander Lowe, who would surely have given him a mean lecture.

As he was helping Miss Winner to ascend the steps of the coach he had hailed for her, he kissed her hand which he kept hold of a little longer than decorum required.

"Miss, until I have the pleasure of meeting you again..."

"Captain... I know we'll meet again, but I don't know if it will be a pleasure."

At these words, she gave three raps on the carriage's roof and disappeared letting the Captain Lowe sorely disappointed.


	3. The Captain Shinigami

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: PG-13 for now

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, cross-dressing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

BETA: The talented **OneWingedShinigami** to whom I owe great thanks for the many clever improvements she contributed to.

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

Chapter 3: The Captain Shinigami

Duo Maxwell was furious, which was plain to see for anyone looking into his murderous violet eyes. He should have foreseen this day would be a nightmare. For once he had a decent night of sleep, something had to go wrong. Nothing ever comes for free in this world. As if having to sneak out of the Palace in Relena's dress, at the risk of being lynched by the soldiers, hadn't been enough, as far as ordeals went, the day was only getting steadily worse.

Lost in thought while the coach was taking him to the Port, he failed to notice that his no-good driver had chosen to take the "scenic route". He had been trapped all of an hour and a half as a result. The enclosed space of the stinky carriage was unbearable; he began to sweat buckets while trying to open one of the two windows. He eventually had to admit that both were stuck... of course. If he hadn't been wary of attracting attention and humiliating himself further by causing a scene, he would have given into the impulse to beat the driver, if not to break a leg or two.

When they reached the Port neighbourhood at long last, he hoped for nothing but the heavenly bath waiting for him at the tavern. But no, of course not! The street was blocked by a wagon which had lost a wheel, dumping its load onto the pavement. He had to exit the coach and walk the last few hundred meters under the heavy sun. Thanks to the driver's "consideration," it was nearly noon and certainly not the best of hours to walk when in the Tropics. The long skirt, which hid his pants, kept him unbearably hot in addition to slowing his steps, the lace on the neckline of his dress itched horribly, and the sweat running from his brow to his eyes was melting the powder, blinding him. He felt absolutely miserable.

Unfortunately for him, there was no end to his misfortune as others didn't seem disinclined by a mere perspiration. In this neighbourhood, his unusual looks were attracting attention and, if the admiration of the soldiers at the Palace had been rather amusing, that of the few sailors brave enough to defy the heat was grating on his nerves. He was experiencing the world in someone else's shoes and he swore to never mock women again when they bitched about a males' behaviour.

Earlier, he had come to appreciate the parasol he had "borrowed" from Relena as the only useful part of the entire female dress, using it first to shade his face from the too insistent gazes of some of the soldiers, and later to protect himself from the sun. Now, he was reduced to hold it firmly in front of him, closed, in a defensive posture to fight of unwanted attention. Consequently, the sun was beating mercilessly on his scalp, which, added to the unusual weight of his braid tied upon his brow, was beginning to give him one hell of a headache.

He would have warded off the good-for-nothings claiming he was Shinigami and threatening them with a long and painful death but, in addition to fearing for his reputation, he was beginning to wonder if he would be able to fight in such a dress should the idiots decide to give him a closer look. He was thus immensely relieved when, at long last, he reached the tavern safe and sound and literally threw himself through the door causing it to crash into the wall with a forceful bang.

While he was getting accustomed to the near obscurity of the room, he noticed the unusual silence and slowly lifted his head. He religiously cursed all the demons from Hell, wondering if there would be an end to his humiliation. What had begun like a good trick to play on the Governor's soldiers was turning out to be a big joke at his expense. While they could have been anywhere else, all his men had to be just sitting here about to enjoy their meal in a friendly comradeship. And all were staring at him. He wasn't yet seeing recognition on the familiar faces, but it would come, and he would be hearing about it for the rest of his days.

Bravely, he held his ground, waiting for what would happen next. Quatre was the first to react. Standing, he slowly came closer, with a preoccupied air on his face.

"Duo? Is that you? What?... How?... Why?..."

In other circumstances, seeing the Winner heir, usually so diplomatic and well-mannered, stuttering and so visibly disgruntled would have made Duo laugh. Alas, he wasn't in a laughing mood and the snickers and whispers, slowly but surely increasing about the room weren't improving his already atrocious mood.

"Believe it or not Winner, I have a perfectly good reason to be in this dress."

Unsurprisingly, the second person to come close was Meiran, her exotic features harbouring a devious smirk. Fatalist, he waited for the sarcasm which would undoubtedly come and wasn't disappointed.

"Why Duo, you finally swore off of black. This colour really agrees with your complexion. You have to give me your tailor's name."

"Miss Peacecraft's as a matter of fact, but I could ask her the next time I see her, if you can wait 'til then."

The answer came out mechanically, even if he wasn't in the mood to jest he was so used to it that he managed to without even thinking about it. That had its uses but sometimes, like just now, it made him say things he knew he would regret. Wufei's growl thus didn't surprise him.

"Peacecraft? Please don't tell me you spent the night at the Governor's Palace? Don't you have the slightest sense...?"

By experience, Duo knew that his friend's lecture could go on forever, ranting about many grandiloquent notions, such as Dignity, Justice, Consciousness, Decency, and whatever else could be brought up. Only, this time, it was too much, that was the proverbial last straw on the pride and already frazzled nerves of Shinigami. Features darkening into the frightening grimace that terrorized the oceans, Duo raised a restraining hand, interrupting the Chinese man in a threatening voice.

"Enough! Don't utter another word or I swear I'll use your back as a doormat. I probably just spent the worst morning of my life and I'm definitely at the end of my rope, so you'd better clear the way, have water brought in for my bath, and make sure nobody disturbs me for the next hour. As for the rest of you, I warn you that it would be very good for your health if the gear was packed and you were all ready to go when I come back down."

At these words he stalked warlike to the stairs, strangely managing to conserve his dignity while grabbing unceremoniously the bottom of his dress, that was slowing him down. Behind him, Wufei stood frozen, fist in the air. Meiran was stunned; Quatre dejected; the rest of the crew scared shitless, even the usually jolly Howard. You could have heard a pin drop. Their Captain hadn't been so furious with them in a long time and they all suddenly felt sympathetic with those who encountered Shinigami's ire on a regular basis.

Some time later, Quatre relearned how to breathe. He took a large puff of air and asked in a calm, clear voice. "Can the captain hear us from his bedroom?"

The remaining members of the crew stayed frozen on the spot. The innkeeper, however, answered amiably; for he was less shocked by the scene, seeing that he didn't know Shinigami as well as them. "His room is at the end of the corridor on top of the kitchens. Even if he's got good hearing, he can't hear anything that takes place in here."

Quatre's brain dutifully recorded the information and began to replay the thoughts which had plagued it during the past few minutes. He had just witnessed the most unlikely and hilarious scene in all his young life. With the assurance that his irritable Captain couldn't hear him, he asked calmly:

"Did I just see Shinigami, terror of the seas, dressed like the Peacecraft heiress, throwing a temper tantrum, and treating Wufei like a manservant?"

The few nods and Wufei's scandalized expression were too much for him in the end, and he dissolved in hysteric giggles. When hearing Shinigami's name, the innkeeper appeared a little less comfortable but, save for him and Wufei, still stuck in his incredulity, everyone else seemed to be coming back to their senses. They still were watching Quatre's display warily, before Meiran's laugh began to ring in counterpoint. Soon, the two youngsters were on the floor, teary-eyed, and shaking in helpless bouts of laughter, neither showing the slightest sign that they'd ever stop while the rest of the crew was watching them like they were both out of their minds.

"Oh... Allah... Duo... is... the... prettiest... woman... I've... ever... seen... No offence, Meiran!"

"No... No... None taken. You've got twenty nine sisters, you know what you're talkin' about. She... huh **he** was breathtaking... even all sweaty."

"I'd... give... one... year... of... my... life... to... see... him... coming... out... of... the... Governor's... Palace... in... that... dress... The... regiment... came... back... this... morning."

"I'd give away **ten** years from mine to see Miss Peacecraft's face when she saw him like that. She must have been green with envy."

The discussion was difficult between their giggles and harsh breathing. Quatre was nearly choking but at least the joyful mood was slowly coming back in the uneasy crew while everyone finally took in the ridiculousness of the entire situation. As expected, only Wufei stayed justifiably so –in his opinion anyway- indignant.

"You... All of you are out of your mind! The Governor's Palace! That... that moron is insane, he could have gotten himself killed."

"Oh shut up Chang! Duo's right, you're annoying with your lectures! Don't you see we're having fun?"

"Yes '_Chang_,' you should listen to Meiran or you could end up as Shinigami's doormat. And don't you have a bath to get ready?"

"Why Quatre you're evil. I love that in a man... well, not as much as parasols..."

At that, their hilarity resumed itself in full force, now accompanied by a good portion of the crew. The madness worsened each time someone laid eyes on Wufei's heavy frown. In the end, helpless, the Chinese man let the loonies get back to their senses by themselves. Proudly, picking up the remnants of his shredded honour, he left the room in search for Shinigami's bath-water, the thought alone of such an undignified task frowning his features a little more with each step.


	4. The Friendly Spy

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

Chapter 4: The Friendly Spy

When the Captain Lowe got back to his quarters, giving his good fortune silent but enthusiastic thanks for having spared him his annoying fiancée's company, he harboured his ordinary blank expression. Yet, anyone who knew him well, if any such person had existed, would have noticed the unusually dreamy quality his eyes had taken. He couldn't get Miss Winner out of his mind. It was the first time a woman, or anyone for that matter, had affected him so. There was a mysterious aura surrounding her and he burned with the desire to penetrate its depths. He had never, in all his life, felt neither so curious nor so attracted. He felt like the proverbial moth drawn to the flame, convinced without reason that he would get scorched. In his well-ordered life, such thoughts were clearly inappropriate and seeing he would soon be the captive of a loveless marriage, the strange feelings the violet-eyed woman had awaken were untimely at best. However, in spite of all the good reasons he had to force himself to forget that morning's events, he couldn't quite gather the will to do it. He wanted to, no, he **had to** see her again, whatever the price. He felt like she would change his life and wondered about the state of his sanity, as such desperately romantic behaviour was as far as possible from his usual personality.

Too busy making plans to find the woman who reigned over all his thoughts, he didn't notice immediately the presence of an intruder in his apartments. Admittedly and in his defence, the event was unlikely enough for him to stay oblivious. The voice of the figure nonchalantly leaning against the living room's far wall struck him like thunder making him jump a foot or so.

"Yuy. Were you aware that at the slightest utterance of your name most of this regiment begins stuttering while the rest appears to be on the verge of tears? To think those people are the ones in charge of protecting the nation... it's worrying and I can't help but come to the conclusion that you're getting worse."

"Barton. Pleasure. To answer your question, I can't help it if people think I'm scary and for your enlightenment, if they let you intrude in my quarters without my express authorization, they probably didn't think much of your personality either."

"Ah but you're mistaken! For **your** enlightenment, the bravest ones openly advised me against invading your privacy; they looked genuinely concerned for my well-being. Hmm looking back, I probably lost their affection when I told them I was a friend of yours."

"A friend of mine? Yes, I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"Such enthusiasm! I guess I should be flattered as it's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to another human being in... What? Twenty five years of existence?"

"Twenty-seven and you're wrong; my nicest time was when I thanked you for having taken care of me five years ago."

"Ah yes of course, but this one was the morphine talking or maybe the result of the lengthy coma. You haven't been as accommodating ever since."

"Nobody's perfect."

"Aren't you the one they call the "perfect soldier"?"

"Can I interest you in a drink?"

Noticing the evasion for what it was, Trowa Barton chose not to push his luck and gratefully accepted a scotch, sitting himself near his "friend" on the comfortable sofa. Naturally, the conversation diverted towards Heero's engagement Trowa had learned about with surprise. A few words with the Captain were enough to convince the young man that this was another minefield better left undisturbed. Seeing his friend's resignation, he had no choice but to become indignant in his stead even at the risk of shattering his usual stoicism.

"Dammit, you said it yourself, you're twenty-seven already, and you're not a child anymore for God's sake! I don't understand why you're still blindly obeying that bastard. He may be your grandfather but only in name. It's been years that he treats you like you're so much dirt on his shoes. That time you almost died because of him and he didn't even inquire of your health before he was sure you would pull through and make yourself useful again."

"Stop it Trowa, you're wasting your breath. I am perfectly fine with this. I won't be the first man to make a marriage of convenience. And my fiancée is a pretty young lady anyway. Not the brightest jewel in the chest but nobody's expecting that of her. I can't go back anymore. I would lose all that I've so painstakingly obtained. I am a well respected officer. I have more money than I'll ever need and a glorious future ahead of me. What more could I wish for?"

"And tell me: is it gratifying to be the Captain Lowe? Even for Heero Yuy? Does that make you happy?"

The following silence and the wistful expression on Heero's face were answer enough but Trowa knew there wasn't a single thing he could do to help his friend. It wasn't easy to save someone who didn't show the slightest will to save themselves. The young man couldn't bear to witness the apathy which had taken possession of his friend. He felt like he had come too late, like he had let Heero down when he had needed him the most. Of course, the old Colonel wasn't immortal but he feared that when he would finally die, the harm would already be too extensive, that the hold he had over his grandson would have already done more damage than could ever be fixed.

The two young men kept silent for long minutes, each lost in their own thoughts, all of them less than pleasant. Heero was the first coming back to reality. He was the host after all and even if his guest had more or less imposed himself, he at least still had to mind his manners. In all honesty and in spite of the troubling conversation they just had, he was rather glad to see Trowa again. The last time went back half a year, somewhere on the Mainland and Heero didn't have any closer acquaintance than him.

They had met five years before, while Trowa was a mercenary, selling his services to the highest bidder, firing or smothering conflicts according to the will of the people in power. Trowa had rescued Heero on a battleground, in an advanced position of Sank Army which had been under attack from Indians in retaliation for the massacre of an entire village. The young man was left to die and would undoubtedly have if not for Trowa's intervention. The following month, Barton had taken care of the young soldier, slowly nursing him back to health. It was only when Heero woke up that Trowa heard the full story. The Army had been aware that the advanced post would be attacked but, under Colonel Jay Lowe's influence, the reinforcement had been sent elsewhere. The old man seemed then eager to get rid of his cumbersome grandson who had rebelled one time too many, even if that meant sacrificing the lives of thirty other soldiers in the process. However, when the Colonel heard of his grandson's miraculous rescue, he appeared to change his mind and decided to turn him into a hero, thus brightening his own reputation. Some time later Heero had been transferred from the Infantry to the Navy based in the Caribbean, but he always kept in contact with Trowa. He had even used his all new fame and the influence his fast ascent amongst the ranks had granted him to aid in his rescuer's career. He had managed to have him hired as an Army consultant and less officially as a spy as Trowa Barton had just the skills for such a job. No one better than him could infiltrate in enemy territory and bring back major information to Sank's Army.

"Tell me Trowa, all politeness aside, could I know what brings you on our island? I can't believe you missed my company so much that it's the only motive for your visit."

"Ah Yuy, always so trusting. People would think you're not happy to see me, but as usual you are indeed right. It looks like Sank's higher-ups thought I would presently be more useful here in the islands than on the Mainland. They have some piracy trouble I was asked to settle. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to tell you much more but I would need your help for a complete tour of the port."

The port, here was a marvellous idea! Heero remembered clearly hearing the lovely Miss Winner directing the carriage's driver in that direction. She didn't give an exact address but, if he had to accompany Trowa there anyway, nothing prevented him from asking around. After all, someone had to have noticed the young woman. With the number of sailors who didn't touch ground for months around there, a woman, especially an attractive one, couldn't exactly go unnoticed. It was admittedly a little late for lunch, but he still hadn't taken the time to eat and after a brief inquiry he learned that neither had his friend. He suggested thus a tavern on the port where he knew they would be well served.

"Won't it ruin your cover to be seen along a Navy officer, more so one not really liked by ruffians?"

...nor by his own comrades, he added silently noticing with dismay that Trowa, sharp as ever, seemed to hear the silent regret.

"That's good as a matter of fact; I am less interested in the ruffians than in certain rats that appeared to have invaded our noble Navy. It can only work for me if I look like I have my fingers in many pies. Along the time, I learned that rats usually look for their own kind."

The insinuation was heard loud and clear, Trowa was going traitors hunting. There were a lot of them in these times when many supposed privateers were often viler than real pirates and when even the most distinguished officers let themselves be seduced by the easy gain of smuggling. Heero himself had had the occasion to notice some irregularities, but as one in command of simple soldiers, he only had to worry about his ships' safety and the skirmishes against pirates. All matters of privateers were much too intricate with politics to risk entrusting them with the Military. Sank, as every other country, feared an open war with one of her powerful enemies far too much to bring out the heavy artillery. When Heero would be dragged in the thick of things he would know with certainty that the situation was desperate. Trowa's announcement wasn't so surprising, he was however astonished that the young man had revealed that much. He had always been more cautious in the past. He thought maybe Trowa was right and they really were friends, what other reason would Barton have to trust him so?

Half an hour later, the two men were entering the _Swaying Sailor_, a neat little inn, maybe the most respectable on the docks where Heero knew they would eat well. However, he hadn't chosen the establishment for its food alone but also because, should a woman take temporary lodgings on the port, it was the most likely place she would go.

Thus, when the waitress came to take their order, Heero questioned her with tremendous hope: "Could you tell me Miss if you have a Miss Helen Winner among your guests?"

Heero didn't feel like he was making use of his charm --admitting he knew he had some-- and yet the maiden was there, blushing and stuttering and the Captain explained this phenomenon by the fact that he was wearing his uniform. Trowa could only hide a smirk, as usual amused by his friend's naïveté in such situations. Meanwhile, and after a few shy attempts, the dark one finally got his answer. He was more than disappointed that it was a negative one, even more so when the girl appeared so certain, saying that being the one managing the rooms she knew all of the guests. Thinking that maybe, for whatever reason, the mysterious Helen had registered under an assumed name, he tried to give her description, but once again it was for naught. The young man felt disheartened and ordered his meal with chagrin.

What Heero hadn't noticed, was the interest his friend had suddenly taken in his investigation. It should be said that Trowa wasn't used to see his companion so piqued. He couldn't help but be intrigued by a woman who managed not only to catch Heero's attention but to keep it. He didn't think such a thing had ever happened before and in the light of their previous discussion about his friend's engagement to a young person who was definitely not called Helen, Trowa was really curious.

"Helen Winner? Can I ask who this girl you appear to be looking for is?"

Before the very eyes of an astonished yet delighted Trowa, Heero seemed then to take an unfocused and dreamy look. Oh yes, there was definitely a good story there. The Captain might have been his friend but old habits die hard and Trowa loved nothing more than to learn the secrets of his peers. He knew that sooner or later those might prove useful. He mostly expected Heero to clam up when pressed and was surprised to see that in the contrary, his friend enjoyed talking about the young Lady without reservation. More and more intriguing...

"It's a girl I met this morning in the Palace's corridors. Helen Winner, childhood friend of Relena's it seems. I understood she was visiting from a faraway country. Lovely, with an aura of mystery, the most extraordinary eyes I've ever seen. I don't know why but I know I have to see her again, she was..."

Heero seemed then to shake himself out of his trance and looked embarrassed by his indiscretion even more so while discovering their meals had been brought without him noticing. Trowa himself appeared lost in thoughts, looking for what in his friend's words had awakened a forgotten memory. He had a sudden realization.

"That might be a coincidence, but I remember meeting a Winner a long time ago in the Middle East. Quatre Winner, the only son of a Pasha."

"She introduced herself as a Miss so she can't be married and if he was an only child."

"No, no, I meant he was the only boy. He had twenty-nine sisters. I remember because I found the fact amusing at the time even if it was for him an endless source of grief. As the only male, he was the rightful heir of the kingdom while he had no interest in politics. It was ten years ago still, people change."

"Not to contradict you but the world is vast and the name Winner is quite common. What's more Helen didn't look Arab."

"Yeah but it's where you're wrong; the Winner clan lived like Orientals but they originated from Europe. I don't know how they came to be at the head of a country like Sandrock, but they reigned there as unchallenged masters. Anyway, what I wanted to say was that Quatre was fair, with blond hair, light eyes, blue or green I can't remember. That might be nothing but that's a lead I would follow if I were you. It feels like you don't have much of those and if you really want to see that girl again..."

Heero wasn't stupid, thus he knew Trowa's advice shouldn't be overlooked even when he was also perfectly conscious that his pathetic predicament terribly amused his friend. Still, he was willing to do about anything to reach his goal and wasn't afraid to ridicule himself in front of his companion if need be. Before starting researching Trowa's tale though, he decided to question a few sailors lurking around. He was still convinced the beauty couldn't have gone unnoticed in such a neighbourhood. The worse coming to worst, he could still ask Relena. His fiancée was stupid enough to be duped.


	5. The Fearsome Crew

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

Chapter 5: The Fearsome Crew

At first glance the band of sailors strolling on the docks didn't appear any different than all the others. They walked with the swaying gait every person living on a ship fatally ended up adopting. They were dressed in various but equally practical outfits, some cleaner than others. A few had headscarves on greasy hair while others had decided upon more eccentric hats. Some went barefoot, but most wore rough sandals or worn boots. Their skins had various shades, their voices many accents and their bones ran from freshly calcified to weary. They spoke loud and laughed louder. They were a colourful bunch but not that unusual and yet, for all they looked like any other crew, they weren't your usual sailors but the most fearsome pirates to ever sail the Seas...

The infamous crew of the dreadful Captain Shinigami was in the habit of going incognito and they had mastered the art of fitting in. They walked amongst the unsuspecting, never afraid of being singled out. There were so many rumours about Shinigami and his frigate Deathscythe that most people expected him to be otherworldly and wouldn't have known him would have they seen him in the flesh. The mythology surrounding him was so widely spread it extended even to his entire crew rumoured to be composed of demons, ghosts and other evil sprites.

The Deathscythe alone could have betrayed their real identity when it was anchored in a well travelled port for repairs or supplies but the crew and their ingenious Captain had come up with a way to solve this problem. When in port, Deathscythe was no more. It became the innocent Sandrock, legally registered in the name of Quatre Winner, some rich foreign brat of good reputation and flew the flag of a small country no one had ever heard of but which had no known enemies. It couldn't be any more inconspicuous and nobody ever asked them anything more than the generic paperwork every captain was required to present to be granted port --those were laughingly easy to falsify.

It was fortunate that the authorities were that naive because would anyone have taken a closer look at the ship they would have uncovered the best kept secret ever in all the History of Piracy. Shinigami himself, aided in his efforts by a retired engineer who went simply by the name of Howard and accused a nebulous past when he might have served in an army somewhere, had designed this frigate and made it a wonder of technology for its time. By a complicated but brilliant system of pulleys, pistons and other mechanical devices, you could entirely modify its shape. By simply activating an innocuous lever, you could put Sandrock in the death throes, have him shed his skin, burst open his innards and spew the dark Deathscythe in the most morbid and painful-looking birth ever as if the pirate ship came crawling from Hell itself.

Deathscythe, unlike his gentler alter ego, was almost entirely painted in black, sails included. His hull was built with a revolutionary design that allowed him to split open the most furious of waves and to go faster than any other ship. He was armed to the teeth with the most murderous of weapons and sported armour of the toughest steel in strategic places. In others, strange mirrors were cleverly displayed reflecting sky, sun or water depending on the time of day, thus adding to Deathscythe's natural camouflage. The transformation from the harmless Sandrock to this formidable leviathan always occurred in deep sea and far away from any witness so nobody could suspect the deception.

Unlucky sailors who had seen Deathscythe and lived to tell the tale always brought back to port stories of a ghostly vessel appearing out of nowhere in the dead of night. The attacks always happened so fast that nobody could ever describe the ship in details, at least none that made sense. The traumatized souls only ever recalled the infamous bow which accused the twisted shape of a horned demon with bat-like wings, a vicious fang-full mouth and armed with a wicked-looking scythe instead of the obligatory naked woman most pirates preferred. All these tales contributed to the anonymity of the Sandrock and its crew because no one would ever expect to meet the hellish creatures of the Deathscythe under the traits of regular, breathing people. Even when sailors met them for who they really were and tried to reveal the deception, it never worked because the Myth had now a life of its own and the truth invariably got lost amidst the more popular exaggerations.

The only ones who were resolved to see a regular human being under the formidable Shinigami Persona were the men serving in the Navy and that's why they had stuck up an amazingly accurate rendering of Duo Maxwell's face on every walls of the Caribbean. Sadly, indifferent to the trials of the brave lieutenant responsible for such a detailed description, nobody ever gave any attention to said portraits. Every citizen needed a scare once in a while and the incredibly romantic and gruesome tales starring Captain Shinigami had become part of the folklore, so much that people stayed resolutely blind to any kind of truth in regard to their dreaded yet beloved legend.

Said legend was now walking some distance behind his crew. Usually, he would be in their midst joking and laughing louder than anyone. Today however he was brooding. Of course his frown was looking dangerously like a pout but being a legend could grow tiresome after a while and even Duo Maxwell occasionally needed a break from his own myth. It should also be said that the pout was pretty fearsome in itself. It had been honed by years living in an orphanage and tried and tested on the stern Sisters who used to run the place. Many a time it had granted him the biggest piece of pie. Those brave nuns had only grown impervious to the pout after years of exposure. In the beginnings, even Deathscythe's crew had been suckers for that lethal weapon but they too had learned to resist to their Captain's antics. "The Pout" was thus ineffective that afternoon. Even more so when it wasn't at its most sincere. The long bath had done wonders in soothing Duo's frayed temper. He felt refreshed and his mood had sweetened from murderous to simply bad. Even better than the good soak, Wufei's indignation was his all time favourite remedy against depression and the Chinese man had looked plenty indignant while bringing him his bath-water. Duo Maxwell had made it his mission in life to aid his stuck-up friend in letting his metaphoric hair down and ruffling his feathers any chance he got was his weapons of choice in this endeavour.

The crew finally reached their disguised frigate and boarded enthusiastically impatient to sail after having spent a few days too many on the ground. They were welcomed by a mountain of a man. He had dark skin and a weird hairdo that gave him an almost satanic look. Rashid Kurama had stayed behind to keep an eye on the ship. The impressive Arab had joined the team seven years ago and if he respected their Captain to whom he was devoted, his loyalty went first and foremost to his young Master Quatre. A long time ago he had been a Palace guard in the kingdom of Sandrock almost a world away and had been in charge of the Prince's security. When said Prince had fled his country to escape a destiny as a ruler, Rashid and a few other guards had faithfully followed. They had supported him in many an adventure since the beginning of their self-imposed exile and their unfailing loyalty had yet to be shaken. The worried look with which he surveyed their return had thus a mother-hen quality at odds with his ominous presence. Once assured Quatre was as safe and sound as anyone can be while keeping such a company of ruffians, he offered a benevolent smile to the rest of the crew who were now behaving like naughty children eager to go out and play.

The giant nodded affably to Howard who sped past him with the energy of a man half his age mumbling something about new devices he was probably hurrying to discuss about with his usual accomplice. Gene was an old and ugly scientist some believed half mad. He had been with the crew almost from the beginning and had come up with many improvements in the frigate's design since Duo had snubbed the task once the original schematics had been implemented. Gene never left the ship for any reason and the crew speculated it was because he was asocial when in reality; it was above all because his paranoia wouldn't let him take his eyes off of his most precious creation. Anyone coveting Deathscythe's secrets would have to go over his dead body and they better be prepared for a dirty fight no matter if he wasn't anymore in the prime of youth nor as strong an opponent as he used to be. He still had a mean streak a mile wide and wouldn't hesitate to draw from it if someone threatened his dark child.

Rashid was still dutifully counting heads when he noticed someone had gone missing. They couldn't decently depart without their Captain. They had forgotten him behind once several years ago in Jamaica while leaving the premises of their latest larceny in quite the panic. Those had been confusing times and stayed their most humiliating mishap to date but that was a story for another day. Suffice to say that although voodoo priestesses and vengeful ghosts weren't oddities in their line of work, the barbarians, the diva and the elephant had been a little too much even for them. Still, regardless of the circumstances, Shinigami had been none too pleased by their defection and had been insufferable for weeks. Come to think of it, it was probably the only time Rashid had seen him quite _that_ furious and it wasn't something he was eager to see repeat. The Captain sure hadn't usurped his name, his wrath was worthy of that of the God of Death himself.

Thus, upon noticing Duo's absence, Rashid was prompt to localize the only rational being among the bunch of brats whom had just swarmed the deck. Wufei was standing a little aside from the others observing their enthusiasm with the detached calm of one resigned to accept the most horrendous fate with dignity. His usual frown was well in place, that same frown in which his exotic features would get stuck, one of these days, if Duo was to be believed. Rashid was fond of this serious young man who had taken upon himself the herculean task of being the voice of reason for the entire crew. Such determination was to be admired when one knew how many members of the crew were certifiably insane... and as a bonus, his regular fits of temper were quite entertaining.

"Master Wufei! I don't see the Captain, wasn't he with you lot?"

The Chinese man accused surprise and stared at the crew, encompassing them all with dark eyes not missing much. Confirming the absence of Duo, he turned his attention back from where they had come from.

"Of all things, _His Awesomeness_ appears to be sulking right now so he's lagging behind. Don't worry, he didn't run into any troubles... Not for lack of trying. He'll be here shortly."

The two men stood side by side, looking over the guardrail to the port below growing more restless with each minute that passed without them seeing neither hide nor hair of the brash pirate. They soon came to the same conclusion: they had managed to lose their Captain along the mile or so between the tavern and the ship. Wufei looked first exasperated enough to begin raving in one of his infamous rants, but instead he gulped audibly then gritted his teeth. Finally deflating by willpower alone, he shrugged dejectedly and went back on his way to the docks. Rashid could have sworn he heard him grumble something about Shinigami being en route to his date at the Opera with the Governor, which was odd seeing that Master Duo didn't much like to dress up.

Meiran who had caught the tail end of the conversation followed at Wufei's heels and grabbed a bewildered Quatre on her way. That of course convinced Auda and Abdul that their presence was required to look after the one who would stay their Prince till his dying day. In no time the rest of the crew grew curious and that was an entire procession that went down the gangway they had just ascended. Rashid observed the phenomenon with resignation and sighing quietly marched to the scientists' hideout to inquire about the next tide in case they'd miss this one, as he knew they would...

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_Answers to reviewers:_

_To **Impish**: I am glad you liked the crossdressing; I was aiming for a farce-style scene and am pleased to see it came across nicely. I'm afraid the plot I'm planning is thick enough to give us all indigestion but I'll try to keep up the good work and to not be too much of a lazy ass._

_To **Hikaru**: Do not fear the DuoxRelena was nothing more than a convenience and so much comic relief. 1x2 will come along sooner or later and I'll try to update as fast as possible. Working on keeping you amused._

_To **F.Jane**: I'm also quite fond of Duo in a dress at least when it doesn't turn out transforming him in a spineless sissy, that's so much more enjoyable when he stays a smartass inside while looking all girly. I probably should have mentioned that all characters are older here because teenagers couldn't have the background I wanted for them. As for Duo's age there's a twist and I'll get back to you on the matter in a later chapter. Suffice to say he is quite the adult too._

_To **Carolina**: That's an interesting question as I haven't yet thought of Relena's point of view. You're probably right however and if I make her into more than the silent plot key I usually prefer her as, she will definitely corroborate the tale to save her reputation._

_To **no comment**: I am ridiculously giddy with your undeserved praise. Thank you very much. As for the not so occasional mistakes I'll work on it. I'm French and even when I proof-read myself a hundred times I keep missing things. I really should look for a beta ;_


	6. The Demon's Eyes

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

Chapter 6: The Demon's Eyes

After a delicious meal Heero had unfortunately been too preoccupied to taste, they departed the quaint inn and went strolling on the docks. In an effort to prove to Trowa that his new found emotions hadn't turn him into a complete love-struck fool, the Captain Lowe fell down on his well-worn persona and gave him an exhaustive tour of the premises with his much famed efficiency. He highlighted dutifully the places of interest such as the Harbourmaster's Office, the military ammunition depot, the Hall of Auctions, the Spirits & Spices trade market and finally the gallows and slave grounds in the seediest part of the port, the sight of both of those prompting twin expressions of distaste.

Both tall, elegant, handsome and dangerous looking, the young men were an attraction. Heero's formidable presence and his continuous glaring would have been enough to attract some unwanted attention even without the ceremonial uniform he hadn't shed after his morning visit to the Palace. His companion was as much --if not more-- distinguishable with his more than average height, his well-trimmed and sharply dressed physique, his rakishly messy auburn hair and his unfathomable green eyes. Trowa was also walking with a wealth of arrogance as if he owned the Port and spoke loud and with grand gestures. It soon became evident that the spy was already playing his part and wanted to be seen, thus Heero, unfamiliar with his friend's choice of cover, made it his point to be quite thorough and to go with leisure. He described the regular traffic maritime in painstaking details, pointing out the most notice-worthy ships, be them military or merchant and even introduced him into a few taverns and brothels.

Despite Trowa's growing amusement, Heero also continued to conduce his own investigation, but nobody could be of any help in the better part of the port and he was loathed to question the shadiest sailors or to enter the more ill-reputed pubs, refusing to believe the sweet Helen would consort with such a crowd. While interrogating an umpteenth bartender and just after delivering the now well-rehearsed maiden's description, the Captain was rudely interrupted by a drunkard he hadn't noticed before.

"Violet eyes you say? You're either nuts or hallucinating mate. There's no such thing as violet eyes."

Although the words were badly slurred, they were understandable and patronizing-sounding. Heero stood dismayed for a while. When the Captain Lowe spoke, people shut up and listened, that was the rule. They also cowered in fear but that's beside the point. This man had to be very brave or a simpleton. Either way, he was also quite drunk so Heero couldn't decently hit him for his irreverence. It wouldn't become his rank to be caught brawling in a pub. All things considered, here lay the temptation as he was curious to see his grandfather's face if he found him in the brig for bar-fighting. Repressing his first violent impulse, he answered sarcastically.

"You are the one soaked in bad rum old man. Shouldn't you be the delusional one? I know what I saw."

Neither put out nor impressed, the drunk gave Heero a disapproving look as if correcting a kid who should know better and insisted: "Nobody has violet eyes. Nothing human anyway..."

Trowa who had been silent up till then seemed intrigued by that last remark and asked gamely for clarifications. Whether he was genuinely interested, humouring the man or already working on his cover and contacts was anyone's guess. Heero's less charitable theory was that his friend was purposefully letting the conversation drag to torture him. The drunkard, eager for the attention --unwarranted as it was-- went on with his nonsense. He was now ranting about violet-eyed monsters affirming he had seen the God of Death and that he had violet eyes, demon's eyes. Demons? Great! Next thing you know he would go spouting about goblins and pixies.

Heero had heard the tales about Shinigami like anyone else who hadn't lived under a rock for the past few years, but he was certain that Duo Maxwell was an ordinary man and not the fairy tale creature people made him out to be. He was just a little harder to catch than other pirates and more irritating than most. Heero had taken a great dislike for the man because he couldn't help but see his choice of pseudonym as a personal offense to his own Japanese heritage, never mind that Shinigami didn't know him and had already been rampaging well before Heero joined the Navy.

Heero was a realist. He was a firm believer in things he could see and touch and wasn't moved by folklore in the slightest. He had seen a great part of the world, been to places most people only ever dreamt of and met people of all sort. Yet, not once had he encountered a creature even remotely supernatural, thus he deduced there were no such things. Having no interest in listening to rum-induced ravings and even less in hearing his Helen sniggered at, he chose the path of least resistance and stalked out feeling snappish. He knew Trowa would follow... eventually.

A while away, his glare hadn't abated much and his mood was still as soured. Furthermore, discouragement was forthcoming as he was no closer to find the Lady than when he had begun his quest. He walked briskly and without paying much attention to his surroundings, confident that everyone possessed of common sense would clear his way. That's why the second and much more violent collision of the day came as such a surprise. Heavily built and tough as they come, Heero didn't budge, but the misfortunate interloper went flying and landed butt first on the pavement with an undignified grunt. He was ensconced in a long black coat, black leather trousers and an equally dark tricorne put askew upon one brow. From far away, the ensemble might have given false stature to his silhouette but up close and personal he was fairly short. His head barely brushed the Captain Lowe's chin which had put him level eyed with the gleaming medals during the brief moment of impact. He was now moaning and cradling his abused nose in trembling hands.

"Damn it all to Hell! What is it with you Military today? Is it pick-on-Duo-day and somebody forgot to tell me? Can't you look where you're going, you moron? You'll maim someone with all that trashy metal on your chest."

"Well I can't help it if you're so short. And you're the one that charged head-first into me like a beast on rampage."

Still sprawled on the ground, the man threw him an annoyed glare and Heero thought he glimpsed a flash of purple. He glanced heavenwards and though he heard the sharp intake of breath upon recognition, he didn't give it any mind and completely missed the disbelieving look that went with it. Heero refused to concede he might well be delusional but he was clearly obsessed if he began to see Miss Winner in every passer-by. It was more than likely that upon a closer look, the lad's eyes would prove to be of a common blue or even another colour altogether; he was obviously projecting. When he looked back down to the man, his features were shaded by the brim of a hastily rearranged hat and messy bangs prevented confirmation of his eye-colour.

Heero was waiting for further insults but all brashness seemed gone as Duo comically scooted back, on hands and butt before noticing the ludicrousness of his efforts and scrambling back on his feet with a self-depreciating snort. The soldier would have continued to taunt the jerk who was pointedly _not_ looking at him as if self-conscious, but he was interrupted by a loud and mostly incomprehensible bellow.

Both men turned curiously towards the way the voice came from and saw the crowd part to give way to a stomping Chinese man. Wufei, for it was him, encompassed the situation with one look, noticing immediately Duo's bloody nose, dusty pants and that his opponent wore a uniform. Coming to a mostly erroneous conclusion, he ignored the Captain Lowe and turned his anger congested frown against his friend throwing accusations in a shrill voice that had both Captains wincing.

"Can't you stay out of trouble for more than an hour?" Wufei marched upon Duo and used his slightly superior height to loom over him.

"Is that too much to ask?" Duo stepped back under the assault trying to put some distance between himself and the mad man.

"Will I have to stick to your stinky ass from now on?" Wufei followed and stabbed a vindictive finger in Duo's sternum.

"I am not your damn Nanny!" Duo was backed up against a muscular and medal-filled chest.

"Even if that's clear you need one." Feeling Duo stumble, Heero reflexively grabbed him by the hips and caught a whiff of cologne that seems familiar.

"That's a wonder you stayed alive that long on your own." Trowa arrived on the scene and wondered what he had missed.

"And what are you doing getting into fights?" Meiran charged in the slowly widening circle of onlookers and whimpered.

"Didn't you have your fill of soldiers this morning?" Quatre crashed into Meiran with his momentum.

"We shouldn't be attracting attention." Wufei stayed completely oblivious to the growing crowd and missed the disbelief on everyone's faces.

"Did you ever hear about discretion or is it too alien a concept for your pea-sized brain?" Quatre groaned with all his might and Trowa glanced his way, curious.

"But if you really want to be hanged that sure can be arranged." Quatre recognized Trowa and ducked behind Meiran.

"And **that** is the terrible Captain Sh..." Auda and Abdul appeared suddenly from out of nowhere and grabbed Wufei, gagging him in the process.

After that everything happened fast. The guards come pirates wasted no time in carrying the struggling Wufei away and were quickly swallowed by the crowd. Trowa's attention had been briefly diverted and when he looked again Quatre had also disappeared. Taking advantage of the general confusion, Meiran shook herself out of her own stupor, dove for her Captain, seized his hand and, yanking him free of Heero's hold, she took at a run dragging him shell-shocked after her. Heero had a glimpse of a long brownish braid trailing behind Duo.

Before the two men still standing had any time to react, a big bald man with dark skin materialized seemingly out of thin air and gave them both a fatherly smile.

"Sorry about that. Don't mind them; they have a severe case of deep-sea fever. I am their doctor and am going to take very good care of them. Thank you for your patience and good day to you."

Apparently satisfied of his success at damage control, the man vanished the same way he had come leaving a very disgruntled Heero and Trowa in his wake. The two friends looked at each other while the crowd dissipated, Trowa raised an eyebrow and the Captain shrugged.

"Seamen are often weird."

Trowa answered with a slightly broad smirk: "So you must fit right in!"

"Very funny."

"I try."

"So, talking about weird: did you learn anything interesting from your new friend? Any imminent imps' invasion I should worry about?"

Trowa gave him a smug look.

"As a matter of fact, you o' little faith, I got some very useful information. Dunno if I should tell you however... if you ask nicely perhaps..."

Heero blanked his face, advertising his lack of interest and Trowa sighed, long-suffering.

"Okay okay! I'll tell you anyway because it is more of an interest for you than for me. What do you think about the fact that there is presently a brigantine called the Sandrock anchored in the harbour?"

Trowa grinned, smugger still and sighed again when Heero didn't react. The Captain was usually pretty bright, but also had his dense moments; he would have to dot his _i'_s and to cross his _t'_s if he wanted the discussion to go anywhere.

"The Sandrock! You know _"Sandrock!"_ like the Winner-owned Middle-East country I was talking about earlier. Isn't **that** worth investigating? How many chances are there that's a coincidence? Might be where your _Holy Maiden_ is hiding."

His friend looked suitably impressed by his investigative powers at last and began throwing curious glances around as if the mysterious ship or even the elusive woman would suddenly appear out of nowhere. As they were in the middle of the market place and nowhere near water, it was unlikely. Trowa snorted, Love had a way to turn one's brain to mush.

"I don't know which ship it is exactly but that should be written in the Harbour's registers."

He went in the direction of the Harbourmaster's Office, confident that Heero would get a clue and follow. He wasn't disappointed. It was kind of far as the Office had been one of the first stop in their tour, but they walked fast, the Captain almost bursting with anticipation.

The bored employee in charge of the registers wasn't eager to help and whined after special authorization and other such paperwork. However, Heero's infamous glare was an effective if blunt incentive. They had learned that the Sandrock was a one hundred and seven feet long brigantine, with the required two masts, square sails and little fire power as is often the case for merchant ships. It was flying a Maltese flag and was owned by one Quatre Winner. That confirmed Trowa's suspicion that it was who he had thought he'd recognized in the blond man earlier. It was also registered to be departing with the next tide and anchored at the opposite side of the docks. There wasn't enough time to intercept it but Trowa didn't want to be the one breaking that particular news to Heero who was hurrying in the direction they had just come from. He followed at a more sedate pace; strengthening his resolve in expectation of his friend's foreseeable frustration once he came to that same conclusion. Trowa was disappointed himself as he really would have liked to meet the woman who had made such an impression on the usually stern Captain.

Heero arrived at Sandrock's moorings just in time to see the brigantine sail away. He concentrated on regulating his breathing after his useless run, slow in, slow out, repeat. He clenched his fists. He wasn't supposed to feel this helpless, but he did. There was nothing more he could do. He wasn't so far gone that he would freight a Navy ship to pursue Miss Winner. He had influence enough and it was damn tempting but ludicrous. What would he tell her once he'd catch up with her? It wasn't like there was anything tangible between them. He was already engaged to another and he had only met her this morning. Oh God! Was it only this morning? He felt like he had searched for her for years. What was happening to him? He must be going mad. He had acted all day in an unreasonable way that didn't become him. Helen was pretty yes. She had been a lovely distraction but she was gone. It was painful right now but in time she would be no more than another missed opportunity in a lifetime full of them. He would forget her and get back to his orderly life and all would be well in the world. Why was it already that grown men weren't supposed to cry?

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_Reply to reviewers:_

_To **Amara**: Didn't I mention I don't like Relena. Honestly Duo is so prettier, they draw her wrong, she's all weird._

_To **Hikaru**: And hop a new chapter. Hope you liked it and don't worry they won't be sworn enemies nor Heero will stay oblivious for long._

_To **Camillian**: Ah yes that might be slightly annoying for Shinigami to find himself with a besotted Heero, salivating after his girly self. Without spoiling too much I can already tell you he won't be too happy about that._

_To **Random Chaos**: I was initially really upset by your review (well once I had looked up the meaning of "purple prose" on google) then I guess I sort of saw your point. I know I am not much of an action writer, I love description and sometimes I get carried away. I'll try watching myself from now on not to fall in the real cheesy. But if that becomes too unbearable you can still stop reading before you resort to self-mutilation. _


	7. The Hasty Departure

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me.

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

Chapter 7: The Hasty Departure

The afternoon was coming to an end and a few ships had just sailed away profiting of the tide. People had come in great numbers to say their goodbyes or make a few last deals with the departing seamen who might not touch ground again for a few weeks, sometimes even months. The docks were thus inconveniently crowded.

While growing up in his faraway Spain, Hernan had often been mocked by the other kids regarding his plumpness. Nobody ever wanted to let him join in their ballgames saying that he was too fat to run. Nowadays in his fifties, he had overcome his traumatizing childhood and had grown comfortable in his round body. If those mean kids of long ago could have seen him right now, they would have been ashamed of themselves. Because in spite of his cumbersome weight, in spite of his age, Hernan was running and he was damn fast. He rushed through the crowd like a cannonball not slowing for anything or anyone, pushing aside the annoying passers-by that got in his way, impervious to their indignant protests. He had been among the ones that followed after Wufei in search of their errant Captain and was the first to leave the scene when it became clear Shinigami's crew would have to pull off one of their disappearing act.

"Holaaaaaaa Rashiiiiiiid! Get ready to sail!"

Rashid cringed at the sheer volume of the blooming voice but hurried nonetheless to ready the Sandrock. It looked like they wouldn't miss the tide in the end. He didn't spare the time for a glance over the guardrail as he knew well what he would see. The sight of the plump Spanish man sprinting toward the ship with a big toothy grin under a black pointy moustache was a familiar one. Those hasty departures were getting old fast. He gave urgent orders to cut the mooring ropes and to release the sails pointedly ignoring the missing members of the crew who came bursting one after another on the gangway. Even Auda and Abdul unceremoniously dumping a sputtering Wufei on the deck didn't get more than a raised eyebrow.

When Captain Shinigami finally took his place behind the helm with a bloodied nose and ordered the crew at their post with an unusually nasal voice, everybody instantly scattered to obey without any comment. Rashid went down the low deck to check that the cannons were secured. When the boat cleared the dock, he heard the forgotten gangway falling in the water with a resounding splash. He shook his head with reluctant but fond indulgence.

Sandrock in its brigantine form couldn't compare with the Deathscythe. It posed as a modest merchant ship and thus didn't have much sails. It was still decent for its class and with the tide at its strongest and favourable winds it cleared the port in no time. However, the crew only began to relax once the night descended over them without any sign of pursuers and once Duo gave the familiar order to let the Deathscythe loose. Shinigami had the preternatural ability to know when someone lurked around his ship. That was how nobody had ever assisted to the incredible transformation. If he was allowing it now, they knew they were safe.

It was an unsettling experience to be onboard while the change was underway, yet they had all gotten used to it and even found it strangely comforting now. They always huddled in the living quarters as that was the only place that stayed the same on board both incarnations of the ship. They listened in utter silence to the cracking of wood and the screeching of metal with an ever anew quasi religious awe, no matter how many times they had witnessed the phenomenon. Barring occasional problems which then had Howard and Gene exiting the safety of the cabins in order to repair a mechanism or another, once Shinigami activated the lever on his desk, the transformation only took a little under fifteen minutes. That wasn't all that long considering the extent of the prowess, but the engineers were working on reducing even that already short time. They feared it was still too long as the noisy machines could give them away by those eerily calm nights on the sea when sound travelled far. It had happened already a number of times that other seamen or even islanders heard the transformation from a distance. However, as the disturbance's origin was too improbable to fathom, the unidentified sounds had gave birth to all new tales of sea monsters which, all things considered, were much more believable than the reality. Even when it wasn't planned for, Deathscythe was a prolific myth-maker.

When it was safe to leave the cabins, the crew didn't waste much time to chat and went on to attend to their various tasks. Wufei alone was conspicuous by his absence and Meiran commented that he was probably hiding somewhere flagellating himself about almost spilling Shinigami's secret in front of a Navy officer. It was most likely true as the proud Chinese valued his honour above everything and such a stupid mistake committed while in a fit of rage was sure to have shamed him deeply. He was probably apologizing to his ancestors swearing to try to rein in his temper from now on. This good resolution however would probably not hold for long as the poor man was living in a very stressful environment surrounded by the most irritating people ever and they would have challenged the patience of even the most level-headed of Saints.

Auda, the unofficial cook went to his stove, happy to have fresh produces to work with and do justice to his talent. When they spent some time in deep sea the stock dwindled fast and they had to get going on bland food made from cereals which spoiled slower, usually oatmeal, even if the introduction of rice onboard by their Asian crew members had pleasantly improved their menus. Abdul had first watch and climbed to the crow's nest with the agility of old habit. Howard and Gene went rekindling their old debate about armour against speed, or some such argument they indulged in to keep their mind sharp. As the inventor of the saltpetre lamps, clever devices which littered the ship and provided onboard the much needed blue-green light almost unnoticeable from afar, Hernan was in charge of lighting them; he went on his way whistling. Meiran, Rashid and Ahmad busied themselves securing the load, checking the decks were clean and unencumbered and doing other menial tasks that were necessary maintenance when living on a boat. Quatre, second in command by general consensus took the helm as his Captain was otherwise occupied.

The bald man who had truthfully introduced himself as Duo and Wufei's Doctor earlier in the day stayed behind to dispense the needed care to his Captain's injury. Shinigami had found him years ago drifting on a funeral barge in the open sea off Batavia. There had to be a good story behind this event but Omkarnath, whom everyone simply called O for obvious reasons, had not been very forthcoming with the details. The mysterious man was knowledgeable in Oriental medicine and herb lore. With nowhere to go, he had chosen to stay onboard Deathscythe and was now in charge of keeping the crew alive and healthy, which more often than not proved to be a challenge. Duo hating being fussed over and O's bedside manners letting much to be desired, the examination went quickly. Once assured his Captain wasn't haemorrhaging and would thus live, O departed hastily with an irreverent chuckle. Duo really sounded funny with a busted nose.

Shinigami locked himself in his apartments, studying his maps to plan their route to the next port. They were expected in a fortnight in Port Royal where they had to deliver an artefact some old coot had promised them a fortune in gold for. They had been unexpectedly fast in accomplishing their mission and in spite of the troubles they had encountered on their way back, they still had plenty of time to spare. Duo wasn't worried. He knew Deathscythe could easily reach Jamaica in a week and that's why he had taken the time to stop in Sank for well needed repairs. Feeling ambitious he mused if it would be worth it to try to cut the trip by half. That would have been impossibility for any captain, but Shinigami wasn't anyone and it would be nothing more than the latest in a long list of challenge he regularly attempted on a whim. Under his apparent good-heartedness, Duo Maxwell was an expert navigator and a talented sailor. There wasn't a reef or a traitorous current he didn't know in all of the Caribbean and a few other areas. At the source of Shinigami's legend there was much more than folklore but real genius; that's why his crew trusted him fully.

One hour after separating, they met again in the kitchen. It was tradition onboard the Deathscythe to take each meal together as a big obnoxious family. The person on watch in the crow's nest was usually the only one excused from attending but today Wufei didn't come out of hiding either. Dinner was an unusually quiet affair and the conversation rolled on diverse but innocuous subjects as Shinigami seemed reluctant to talk about the day's events and no one was too eager to give him any motive of getting angry again as he had been at noon. Once every plate had been emptied clean to Auda's beaming pride everyone but Rashid who had helm duty retreated, most likely on their way to the living quarters to sleep or to compete in a few poker games.

Shinigami was weighing the wisdom of going to bed with the knowledge he wouldn't be able to sleep against that of taking one of the heavy books he kept as treasures and reading till exhaustion. He was interrupted in his musings by a quiet knock on the door. Would he have been asleep, it wouldn't have awakened him. Such thoughtfulness could come from only one person and Duo smiled before inviting his visitor in. Once he'd gotten the go ahead, Quatre entered the cabin decisively and deposited two bottles on the desk. He gave Duo a mischievous grin and took a seat. Quatre had brought rum for his friend and lemonade for himself as his religion forbade him to drink alcohol. Duo often teased him about being a shame as a pirate as he didn't even know how rum tasted. At least he hadn't brought glasses this time: it had been a trial to bend the Prince's manners till they allowed him to drink directly from the bottle. The blond studied Duo for a while taking stock of his general appearance. He winced with sympathy when his eyes got to the nose which had swollen significantly.

"How do you feel?"

"I've been better... Yet again, I've been worse. Doc' O assures me nothing's broken but it still hurts like a bitch."

Quatre nodded, satisfied, and then began his interrogation.

"So, care to tell me what was this all about this afternoon?"

Duo looked decidedly uncomfortable and sighed with annoyance. There wasn't much anyone could do when Quatre wanted you to spill your guts, aside from tell him the truth that is. He had that angelic baby face and earnest eyes you couldn't help but confess everything to and as if that wasn't enough, he always knew when you were lying.

"Well, I was in no hurry to get back to the ship..."

The blond gave him a knowing look. "You were sulking."

"Whatever. I stopped to chat with some Ladies."

"I guess we're talking about LeChuck's prostitutes here."

Duo answered with a cheeky unapologetic grin. "That's what I was saying. Then I saw the dressmaker who introduced me to the Governor's daughter."

"Last week's flavour you used and dumped without remorse if I'm not mistaken." Quatre, unlike Wufei had a way to reprimand that didn't make you want to hit him, maybe because he sounded more amused than righteous.

"Anyway, I thought it was wise to avoid her... You know, to spare her feelings..."

"You run like a girl so she wouldn't make a scene."

This time, Duo ignored the interruption. "...and I ran into the Captain Lowe... literally. That's when Wufei appeared from out of nowhere and got into another fit of rage. I didn't do anything to anger him... this time. Honest to God!"

"Huh huh... Captain Lowe you say. Do you know him?"

"That's the weird thing. I had already met him this morning at the Palace... while in the dress. When I saw him again, I was worried he would recognize me. He didn't appear to. But seriously, two collisions with the same officer in one day, somebody up there must hate me. What are the odds?"

"Not good."

"Humph, we have the shittiest of luck lately."

"You don't say. Nobody's gotten hurt real badly yet but I'll feel better once we get to Port Royal. I can't wait to get rid of that thing."

"You really think that cross is cursed? You can't be serious."

"All I know is that since we found it we've been attacked twice and Deathscythe's been damaged each time including by the Epyon which was in the habit of missing us every time. We were caught in a storm. The mast broke. Everybody's been sick or injured and now that! Such string of bad luck is kind of unusual, don't you think? However you look at it that doesn't seem natural... and I have a bad feeling."

"Okay okay. That's probably enough to make anyone superstitious but it's not as if there's much I can do about it. I refuse to dump the cross in the ocean with how much Serin is ready to pay for it. In less than a week we'll be in Jamaica, so, if you're right that's not much time to wait before things get back to normal."

"May Allah hear you Duo! May Allah hear you."

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_Reply to reviewers:_

_To **Random Chaos**: I'm glad you're still reading and reviewing. I mostly never review either which is rather lame of me seeing that I know perfectly how great it is for an author to get feedback. There will be some time before Duo and Heero's next meeting but it should be an explosive one. As for Duo's feelings, you're right I didn't give any damn clue for now. I find it amusing to have Heero (and my readers) guessing. There will obviously be some development later on as it is a 1x2 and not NC. ;p_

_To **Impish**: I wanted to have a hot an' bothered Heero. That's fun when he gets all obsessive. But even he can't have everything too easily, we should let the tension climb up for a while. I'm all for suspense. _

_To **Amara**: I loved the "Holy Maiden" thingie, it was so appropriate as Heero is turning into a fanatic fast. When I want to make an ironic comment from the all-knowing and all-mocking author I usually uses Trowa's voice._

_To **Hikaru**: I hope you won't be disappointed by this new chapter which isn't as eventful as the previous one. But sure Duo and Heero will meet again and it will be better for all the waiting._

_To **A. Minamino**: I'm a little mean to relegate Wufei as comic relief I guess, but the guy is so fun to toy with. I'll try to continue to update regularly._

_To **Lina**: I'm glad you think my story's cool, but don't feel too sorry for Heero. In the long run it will be an eye-opening experience for him. There might be a little more of Duo in a dress but like the opening scene it will be in a devious way and that's far in the future for now._

_To **Camillian**: Miss Helen Winner won't have any air time before long, but yes we'll see her again eventually. I'm writing as fast as I can but it's a little harder on the week-ends._

_To **Aryam**: Well that's true Heero can be dense at times. It comes with being badly socialized I think. Though, he'll realize his mistake sooner than you would think and he will be none too pleased. _


	8. The Broken Dream

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me.

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

Chapter 8: The Broken Dream

The Captain Lowe stayed alone on the docks long after Sandrock's sails had disappeared on the horizon. Lost in thoughts and crushed with regrets, he didn't even hear Trowa coming in behind him. When his friend put a comforting hand on his shoulder, he shook it mechanically. He appreciated the gesture coming from a man he knew wasn't demonstrative but couldn't accept any kindness without failing in his own eyes. He couldn't indulge in self-pity any more than he already had. It was past time to down the Perfect Soldier's mask once again. Nobody, not even his only friend in the world needed to know that the costume wasn't anymore the perfect fit it once was. He would have to make do while feeling a little tight in places and rein himself in more than ever in order to prevent the costume from bursting at the seams.

"Let's go back. I'm sure you already saw everything you needed to."

Trowa sighed quietly. It was no use to make a big deal out of it when the principal interested looked resolute to dismiss the whole fiasco. Still, in just a few hours, he had grown quite fond of this more spontaneous Heero. He would miss him. He followed silently in the Captain's decisive footsteps barely able to keep up without running, and he was the one with the longer legs...

When Heero stopped abruptly, Trowa had to use his outstanding reflexes to side-step him awkwardly at the very last moment. Any other person would have toppled him.

"Yuy! What crawled up your ass now?"

Despite the abuse of language -a memento from his time as a mercenary when he used to run with a ruggedly crowd- Trowa had resorted to in annoyance, Heero didn't react. As a matter of fact, for all he was moving, he could as well have been made out of stone.

Intrigued, Trowa moved forward until he was level with his friend to know what the hold up was. The man's stricken look had him worried as soon as he saw it. Usually, Heero had only three expressions: blank, angry and pleased, the second and the third being only slight variations of the first one with a little more frown for "angry" and a barely there smirk for "pleased". The expression he was now displaying however was hard to catalogue and charged with far more emotions than Trowa was comfortable with attributing to his always mild-mannered friend. It was an elaborate mix of disbelief, anger, frustration, amusement among other less identifiable but equally powerful feelings and they kept shifting at an alarming rate. The spy began to fear which emotion the face would display last, because whatever it entailed, it would be violent. He wondered what could have caused such a reaction.

Trowa followed Heero's unflinching gaze toward a nearby store. It looked like any other drugstore and he wondered what could provoke such a reaction. There appeared to be nothing of interest in the nondescript shop, nothing that caught his attention anyway. He looked back to Heero's eyes. His friend wasn't even blinking. Frustrated, Trowa turned again toward the store and looked harder. Worn front shop, glazed door with dirty little panes, chipped brown paint and a simple wooden sign with a faded "Barney's" written on it. Dull, dull and duller. Nothing here that should petrify a man as tough as the Captain Lowe. He might have been a little finicky if the quasi compulsive cleanliness of his apartments was any indication, but not enough to warrant him getting homicidal over Barney -whoever he was- not being big on housework. That was useless. Trowa couldn't make any sense of it...

Then, he noticed the wanted ad posted on the wall of the shop. That must be it. He didn't have the freakishly accurate eyesight of Heero and thus couldn't distinguish the face clearly but he still could read the caption that proclaimed: "Duo Maxwell, said _Shinigami_, wanted dead or alive" in bold black letters. It was Navy issued and Trowa's eyes widened at the amount of the reward. He didn't know Sank's Navy had that kind of resources. He would have to discuss with someone about his miserable wages. They would have to give him a substantial raise if they wanted to keep him around.

Heero had yet to unfreeze but his mind was working overdrive. He couldn't believe he had run into the most wanted pirate ever and hadn't even recognized him. If that little bit of information got out he would be a laughing stock. As for the rest... he couldn't even begin to fathom... True, the man had hidden his face but still... He had even said his name was Duo, for God's sake. What could have he been thinking about? Of course he knew very well what he had been thinking, but those were dangerous territories for now. The worst being that the Chinese man had done about everything but outright blurt out Shinigami's secret identity just in front of a Navy officer. And again if those other guys hadn't gagged him at the last possible moment, he would have. Maybe that was the thing. If it had been spelled out to him, the Captain Lowe would have gotten his head out of his ass and done something instead of standing there frozen like a love-struck fool.

How anyone could be so stupid was beyond him. Never mind that he was recriminating himself. He more than deserved it. He had even gotten a glimpse of the famed braid and purple eyes. But instead of striking the soldier's cord as it should have, those obvious clues had awoken a radically different emotion. He would have to think about that too. He didn't want to, but he had to...

Heero wasn't especially perceptive when it came to human beings, probably because he didn't like them all that much. Give him battle strategies, ship schematics or a route to plan and he did wonders. He could tell you precisely what was wrong with a mere glance. But throw in real people and he was at a loss. He didn't understand them. He wasn't that good to put faces to names either. At least, most of the time he wasn't. You had to really make an impression for him to remember your face and that was just it: Helen Winner had made a great impression. He would now be able to see her heart-shaped face in his dreams for years to come and with an incredible clarity. That was how he could tell that it was her face portrayed on the wanted ad of the pirate Duo Maxwell. And that was just not possible. The implications were... ludicrous.

Alas, no amount of denial could help him now. He would have to admit to the truth no matter how painful. He had been played from start to finish and couldn't even forward any excuses as of his behaviour. Maybe, if he was charitable, could he forgive himself for having been duped during their first meeting because the disguise had admittedly been flawless? It was hard to believe the charming Helen Winner had been anything other than the Lady she was posing as, let alone that she was male and a pirate to boot. She had managed to fool an entire regiment for God's sake! And she was nothing but a mere illusion. That was unfathomable. Nobody would believe him if he revealed that information, not that he intended to but at least that made him feel a little less like a complete idiot.

That is if he could forget the second meeting, which was impossibility in light of these new facts. Every pieces of the puzzle had been there for him to put together and he had ignored them all and stayed in blissful oblivion. The odd-coloured eyes he thought he had imagined, the hair which had been the same warm bronze than Helen's, the way the stranger had felt pressed against him when the insane Chinese had backed him against his chest, the cologne he that smelled oddly familiar. Even the way they met in the same circumstances appeared like a deliberate taunt now, especially when Duo himself had commented on it. Stupid didn't even begin to cover it, he must be brain-dead. The pirate must have had a field day with that one. No doubt there would be much entertainment at the Captain Lowe's expense onboard Deathscythe tonight.

"So that's the fearsome Captain Shinigami? Doesn't look all that hot!"

Heero wasn't so far gone that he didn't catch Trowa's comment and he burst out laughing. Oh at the contrary Duo **was** "all that hot"! Dangerously so. Rendering-people-bat-shit-dumb so. At least when wearing a dress he was, unfortunately.

Trowa startled at his friend's sudden laughter. That was it! The Captain Lowe had finally gone to the deep end, not surprising given his background. The green-eyed man was even surprised it hadn't happened sooner. Although, of all the possible violent reactions he had expected in the end, laughter was the last. It wasn't the one he'd have preferred either. Sure a pissed off Heero was frightening but he knew how to deal with that: ducking out of the way usually worked well enough. But a hysterically amused Heero: not so much. That was well out of his area of expertise and thus more unsettling than mere fury. What was the appropriate conduct to adopt with hysterical people by the way? Slapping them? As if! Trowa wasn't that suicidal. He would have to resort to reason even if it was well known that reasoning with the insane was useless at best and could even prove dangerous.

"Can I join in on the joke?"

Heero glanced at him and composed himself. He nodded to the wanted ad and explained agreeably: "It's Shinigami."

"Huh, yeah I gathered that."

"So is the guy in black I ran into earlier."

"Oh."

"So is Helen Winner."

"Oh... **OH! **... Wait a minute! I thought Helen Winner was a woman."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"I'm not sure I'm following."

"I'm not sure I am either."

The spy repressed the impulse to shake Heero. It was probably not the best way to get an explanation that made sense, even if it would have been pretty satisfying in itself. He took a deep breath and got back to his inquiry with a newly affected calm.

"Didn't you meet Helen at the Palace?"

"Yes I did."

"But it was Shinigami?"

"Huh huh... In a mauve dress. With a petticoat... and lace."

"That's disturbing. What was a pirate doing at the Governor's anyway?"

"Aside from making a fool out of me you mean? No idea. Probably came to steal something..."

"You met him near the offices?"

"No. On my way to Relena's apartments. Why?"

A picture began to draw itself in Trowa's mind but he thought it might not be the best of time to come clean with it in front of his already shaken friend.

"Nevermind. And he was wearing a dress?"

"And make-up. He even had a parasol."

"Err... okay. And does that formidable pirate do something aside from posing as innocent maidens? "Piratey" things I mean."

"Of course." Trowa looked expectant. "You know the usual: looting, pillaging and murdering on occasion..."

"I see. Did you ever meet him before today?"

Heero looked offended. "Of course not I would have recognized him if I had... I was onboard a frigate he sank once though."

"Fascinating. Is he really all they say about him? Because he looks terribly young, not like one would picture a pirate."

"He must be older than he looks because he has been around for years. No matter his age, he is a brat anyway. He likes to play pranks."

"Pranks. Since when do pirates play pranks? What do you call pranks for that matter?"

"One time he snuck in the Military's storeroom and put laxatives in the reserves. Another time he painted a new frigate's sails with rude comments, you can imagine how well that went during the inauguration. He even managed to detonate our armament depot once and he made it look like fireworks."

"How do you know it was him?"

"He likes to gloat. He always sends warnings to the Governor when he's about to commit a new deed and in spite of that we can never catch him. It's like he's angering the officials on purpose. That's why the reward is so high."

"I rest my case: he is a disturbed individual."

"Yeah. But he is good too. As a pirate he is impressive. A real plague. He has sunk more ships than all the other Captains put together and he always disappear without a trace. Most of the rumours are just absurd but that's true he has the Devil's luck. And an awesome ship. That frigate is amazing. It's called the Deathscythe and it's the fastest I ever... Damn! I'm an idiot!"

Trowa stood frozen a moment wondering what had come up for Heero to just stop mid-sentence and bolt. As the best way to solve this new mystery was to follow, he took at a run behind his friend. He managed to catch up with the Captain with some effort.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to freight a ship, there's still time to catch him."

"Didn't you say he was too fast? What makes it different this time?"

Heero sent a smug smirk his way and answered without ever slowing his pace: "He wasn't on the Deathscythe this time and that Sandrock brigantine is no challenge for my Wing."

Trowa thought he might as well follow. He hadn't any strict orders concerning his mission and going in pursuit of a pirate might just be the way to go. He also wanted to keep an eye on Heero and was admittedly curious about how things would turn out. The next meeting promised to be interesting. He was willing to bet there would be sparks between the two Captains.

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To __**Amara**__: Hey you have to put yourself in their shoes, I would run too if the fearsome Captain Shinigami was mad at me. As for Quatre, however you go at it, he doesn't really fit in as a pirate so I had to insist on the fact he was an oddity among the crew._

_To__**Impish**__: Yeah, I know chapters are getting a little short but it's because I try to keep at one update every two days and it's difficult for me. The cross will be a big part of the story so your curiosity will be plenty sated but there won't be big developments before a while._

_To __**Hikaru**__: Yeah they've been through a lot but that's not any cross. It's one that cost a lot of money and Duo is a grubby-handed pirate after all. I'm working as fast as possible please be kind with me. :)_

_To __**Camillian**__: I am rather fond of my ship myself and I'm pleased you thought it was cool too. As for the curse, it will create many many problems, but you'll see that for yourself later on, won't you?_

_To __**A.Minamino**__: So I'll keep at it with my grouchy Wufei. That's true I like to make him sweat, all the more so if you think I do it well. Thanks._


	9. The Peaceful Journey

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: PG-13 for now

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I thought it was time I cleared a few things in answer to some of my reviewers' inquiries. So let's get to it:

-It is definitely a 1x2 as labeled and there will be lemony bits further along the way. It just would be absurd at this point of the story if they were already jumping in bed together. Be patient people!

-This fic is in no way related to the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes it is a great movie that I love dearly but this here is my own story which happened to take place in the same time and place. That's all.

-For those who wondered about some of the characters who may appear to be original ones, you were wrong. I only gave GW scientists full names because I couldn't see them going with only an initial in that era. Colonel Jay Lowe is J. Hernan is H. Gene is G. Doc Omkarnath is O and Serin, which has only been referred to for now, will be S.

-As a side argument, I take my inspiration mostly everywhere and as there are many fandoms I'm interested in, it might happen that you catch some obscure reference or not so subtle homage here and there. If you catch them, more power for you, it might entertain you; if not don't worry that shouldn't impair your comprehension of the story.

Voilà! Now shoo and go read!

Chapter 9: The Peaceful Journey

They had been sailing for a while now. They had made very good time on the first few days. It wasn't surprising considering that Duo had been hell-bent on reaching Port Royal under the usual whole week. What Shinigami wanted, Shinigami got. Their outstanding good start had put them well ahead of the military frigate that was following them unknowingly. The Wing wasn't anywhere near the Deathscythe when he emerged from the Sandrock and thus Heero was nowhere near finding them. He had few clues as to their destination and was still looking for a slow brigantine after all.

However, on the dawn of the third day, the wind died down all of a sudden. There wasn't the slightest puff of air and they had to make do with the currents and expert manoeuvring of the helm to make any progress. That was fastidious and all in all they were mostly stranded, unmoving under an unforgiving sun. The crew members were none too pleased with the situation. The belief that the cross they had picked up on their last booty was cursed had spread amidst the ranks fast. They complained grumpily about it among themselves, arguing ways of getting rid of the thing, at least when they were out of their irritable Captain's earshot. Shinigami was probably the most frustrated of them all as this delay set him back in his self-imposed challenge but he had made it pretty clear that the matter of the cross wasn't open for discussion.

Aside from complaining, there wasn't much anyone could do anyway. The possibility of throwing the artefact over the guardrail had been discussed at lengths but when you got down to it, they still were money-grubbing pirates and thus wary of giving up on a juicy bounty. Even more so when there was no proof that such a drastic action would bear fruits.

So Deathscythe was left adrift while his crew hoped that he would catch a stronger current which would eventually lead him away from the windless area. Without any sailing to do, everyone on board was trying to keep busy. They were fortunate that there had been plenty to do in the beginnings as some of the repairs Deathscythe needed couldn't have been done in Sank while he was in his Sandrock form. Howard and Gene hadn't wasted any time in recruiting every able body to help them fix one or another piece of machinery. Nobody had protested much as that gave them something to do and kept their minds off of their predicament. The drawback of their good will was that with so many of them working on the repairs they were able to have everything done in record time. Consequently, seven days after their hasty departure and five after being stranded, they were all bored out of their skulls.

On the plus side, there were more volunteers to swab the decks than they had ever been and they were now shiny like brand new doubloons. That was also true for most parts of the ship even some which had previously seen neither a brush nor soap since the new-born Deathscythe had left the shipyard. Wufei who had finally shown his face sometime around the fourth day was the only one not partaking in the housework effort, obviously thinking such menial tasks were beneath him. He was his usual aloof self and hadn't forwarded any apology for either his fit of rage or his subsequent almost blunder. No one had expected him to. The fact that he had stayed four days in isolation and didn't rekindle his argument with Duo or gave grief to Auda and Abdul for so rudely manhandling him was apology enough for all concerned party. Especially when the proud Chinese seemed to have found a new way to punish himself. While the others were busy cleaning the ship, he had selected a long plank, fixed it on the guardrail and take it upon himself to paddle Deathscythe out of trouble. The entire crew had observed his efforts with scepticism but nobody had dared to make a comment. Who cared if that was pretty pointless as long as it kept Wufei occupied and perhaps even helped him in rebuilding his sense of worth.

Seeing that cleaning could get tiring after a while, even for bored pirates, they also entertained themselves in endless poker games. Fortunes in gold and jewels had already changed hands so many times that some had gone full spin and gotten back to their original owner. As none of them had ever intended to ruin their crewmates anyway that wasn't a problem. They played money more out of habit than from any desire to increase their wealth. Even if they stopped playing owning the exact same amount than when they had begun, at least they had killed some time.

Duo was sitting in the sun improbably mending the Jolly Roger they had gotten down for even more improbable laundry when he was interrupted by raised voices near the door to the galley. He stood and went to inquire at what the commotion was and caught the tail end of an argument between a few members of the crew. Something about "not wanting to piss off the Captain". Duo sighed warily wondering what else could go wrong on that damn ship, then sent a mental apology to Deathscythe. He knew he shouldn't insult such a faithful companion regardless of the circumstances.

Ever the observant one, Hernan was the first to catch sight of Shinigami looming over them from the upper-deck. He elbowed the others shushing them without much discretion. A few fearful glances were thrown Duo's way and more urgent comments were exchanged in whispers. After a while Auda came forward. He took off his familiar red fez in an unusual show of deference and began to fiddle with it in fidgeting hands. The cook wasn't prone to nerves and the Captain was getting more worried by the minute. The silence stretched too long and Duo was about to interrogate the poor man when the latter cleared his throat, wincing slightly at the sudden sharp sound in the foreboding silence.

"Captain there's a problem with the reserves..."

Of course, Auda hadn't been chosen as ambassador without reason. The latest trouble had to be kitchen related. When the Arab didn't forward anything more Shinigami got impatient.

"Well? Go on! What's wrong with the reserves?"

"There are bugs in the flour and... well in the cereals too."

"Great! Exactly what we needed. Didn't you think to check the bags in Sank? You should know some merchants are pretty unscrupulous you poor trusting soul."

"That's the thing Captain. I checked them. I always do and they were clean. You can ask Meiran if you don't believe me, she came with me at the market."

"You probably haven't checked well enough." Auda looked affronted. "They might have been hidden in the middle and you didn't see them. It's the only explanation. Bugs don't just appear out of nowhere."

"Except those did." The comment came from Howard and was a barely audible grumble. Duo's sharp ears caught it nonetheless.

"Was there something you wanted to say Howard?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, there is. You can bury your head in the sand as deep as you want Kid, it won't change the fact that there is something weird going on onboard this ship. Those bugs, which are unlike anything I've ever seen by the way, are just the latest in a long list of unnatural things. This ship his cursed!"

Shinigami exploded in predictable fury: "My Deathscythe isn't cursed, you hear me? I won't listen to another word about it."

"Well Deathscythe might not be, but that damn cross sure is."

Duo pretended as if he hadn't heard Howard's last pique and ignored him completely turning instead to the cowering Auda.

"Can you see what's salvageable and give me an estimation of how long we can last with our actual stock?"

The cook had predicted his Captain's request and had already done his math. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, uncomfortable under so many stares but gave his report anyway.

"Hmm... There's not much I can do for the flour or oats but it should be possible to clean the rice. Though I'll need help because it'll be a nightmare to sort it out one grain at a time. We still got some salted meat, potatoes and a few fruits that aren't too bruised yet. If we can also catch some fish, we might last another week or so but it will be on minimum rations."

"Okay. That's good enough. Take all the help you need among the crew. That's the new priority."

Duo was about to go back to his mending obviously dismissing the matter when he saw that nobody had moved. He turned back thunderously and ordered in a no-nonsense voice: "Well? What are you waiting for? Get done to it!"

He watched as the crew disperse urgently with no more prompting and sighed heavily. He didn't want to contemplate the real possibility of a curse. That was one of the few things he was really scared of and he didn't want to appear less in his crew's eyes. For now, denial was working just fine with him, but he didn't know for how long that would hold true...

The remainder of the day passed without further drama. Part of the crew joined Auda to the galley to help in salvaging what could be of their reserves. Everyone was happy to have something new to do for a day, even if it was as boring a task as sorting out grains of rice. The alternative had been to put a new coat of black paint over Deathscythe and as they were still stranded under the sun, they knew the paint fumes would have been uncomfortable. The most adventurous ones tried their hand at fishing. Ironically, it happened that the flour maggots proved to be decent bait to catch a variety of small fishes. As their stock hadn't really dwindled yet, it was of little importance that most of their catches weren't all that impressive. They were more worried about the fishes' sizes in relation to the easy-going competition they had going on than because they were famished. Duo watched over them with careful eyes, relieved to see their good humour return. There would be no mutiny today and he could breathe easier. He even allowed himself to join in the fishing competition once the Jolly Roger had been properly mended and was floating again from the big mast. He accepted all the teasing with grace when it became quite clear he was a poor fisherman.

The dinner that night was a pleasant affair. There was much joking around and the worries from earlier in the day seemed to be forgotten. The highlight of the meal was when Auda refused to serve Shinigami anything more than the tiny catfish which was the only thing he had managed to catch. Auda played at being stern even when faced with the Captain's quivering pout and only appeared to give in once Duo had begged with enough conviction. Shinigami was allowed to eat one nice sea bass in the end and he relished in his meal with gusto pointedly ignoring the crew's laughter.

Everybody went to bed late and in a good mood that hadn't been there for a while. Shinigami retreated in his cabin too even if he knew slumber would be long in coming. A life time of fighting against the world at large had made him a light sleeper disturbed by the slightest thing out of place. He had also been plagued by recurring nightmares for as long as he could remember. Those were the result of having lost many people dear to him and of having lived through many frightening experiences. Despite his dreadful name, Shinigami had a fairly bright personality in the light of day. In the dead of night though, he revelled in the hidden darkness that had even his crew contemplating the possibility that he might well be the real demon he was famed to be. He might have had strange sleeping patterns but he wasn't an insomniac either. He was used to sleep lightly and badly but not to be unable to sleep altogether as seems to be the case since they had left Sank.

He was glad he had managed to catch such a good night sleep in Relena's bed because he felt like it was the only thing that kept him going these days. He had not slept since aside from catnaps here and there under the sun. He couldn't explain why but he couldn't manage to sleep at night. He didn't know to what attribute his predicament, only that he felt tense. There was like an expectation in the air and he couldn't place it. At the beginning of their journey he had put it on the account of being wary of what the curse might throw at them this time –not that he _really_ believed they were cursed of course. However, he knew it was something else. He just didn't know what and that frustrated him to no end. He had come to rely on his instincts along the years and thus stood to be prepared for anything, but he still had the obscure knowledge that it wouldn't be enough. The weird thing was that it wasn't really like foreboding danger either. He knew something was coming yes. It made him anxious yes, but he wasn't all that sure that it would be a bad thing, just an unsettling one. Shinigami hated to feel unsettled. There was also the matter of the not-quite-dreams-almost-visions he got every time he managed to catch some shuteye. He always saw faceless deep blue eyes watching him with an extraordinary intensity. He couldn't place that dark gaze as belonging to anyone he knew but couldn't either escape the tremors it aroused. Those tremors were more thrill than chill and spoke of anticipation more than alarm. He felt like he would go insane with nervous energy especially since the feeling of being watched extended to his waking hours too. He felt bloody haunted.

It was quite late and he was no closer to find the missing piece of this puzzle when he heard a blood-curling scream coming from the deck. Shinigami was outside before he realized he had moved. The terror-filled cry had come from a female voice and Meiran being the only woman onboard it was easy to know who had uttered it. The young Chinese was on watch duty and as soon as he got on the deck, Duo looked up to the crow's nest to see what had happened to her. The brash woman wasn't one to go in hysterics over nothing and whatever she had seen must have been really bad to bring about such a reaction.

Duo had been the first to arrive but all of the crew was not long after him and soon the deck was crowded with worried pirates in various states of undress. They would long stay ashamed about the time it took them to react when confronting with the unlikely scene waiting for them. The ship was literally swarmed with seagulls flying in the most disorganized way as if gone crazy. The birds were everywhere and appeared to be attacking Deathscythe, as improbable as that sounded. Some were crashing head first on the deck and masts; others were ripping the sails apart, as well as the recently mended Jolly Roger.

"Meiraaaan!!!"

Wufei's terrified shout shook them all out of their stupor and directed their attention toward Meiran. The young woman must have seen the seagulls coming and realizing the danger of her position, had tried to get down from the crow's nest as fast as possible. However, in her panic she must have got tangled in the ropes and was now dangling fourteen feet off the ground by her opposing foot and arm unable to free herself. She was clearly scared to death and struggled uselessly as vicious birds continuously swung by her scratching her with claws and beaks on their way.

Once they had taken account of the situation, the crew didn't waste any time in organizing the rescue. Wufei was the first to run to her aid waving the sword he never parted with in front of him to repel the swooping birds. Duo and Quatre flanked him without concert in a well oiled manoeuvre. They were also both armed as whatever emergency there was on a pirate ship, it usually required weapons and they were trained to never leave the safety of their cabins without them. Behind them, all the crew was fighting to stop the invasion in all sorts of ways. Hernan was running to light the saltpetre lamps, hoping their unnatural glow would frighten the seagulls. Following a like inspiration, Rashid had alit two heavy torches and was using the flames to try and burn or chase them with ample movements. Ahmad was skillfully handling the old whip he had used in times past to train Master Quatre' horses. Abdul and Doc O were defending themselves with assorted wooden clubs while Auda had armed himself with a wicked-looking broom. Howard had brought his entire collection of pistols and was firing them one after another endlessly. Gene, rolled on the floor in hope of making himself as little a target as possible, was reloading the guns as fast as he could. He was also shouting helpful advice at the top of his lungs such as protecting one's eyes. Howard wasn't bothering to aim for one particular bird at a time as they were numerous enough and flew in so dense a swarm that he marked with almost every shot. The sound of the reports alone played for them as it appeared to scare the birds giving the crew some time to breath when they fled away before being caught in another bout of madness and attacking again.

Wufei, Duo and Quatre had killed their fair share of birds more by dumb luck than anything and had made noticeable progress. They soon reached the mast on which perched the crow's nest. Wufei immediately began climbing toward the frantic Meiran while the two others stayed at his side covering his back as best they could. A few minutes and two well-placed slash of his sword later, the sobbing woman was latched on his neck and they were coming back to deck where their companions were still fighting. They were welcomed with relief regardless of their dishevelled and bloodied state.

In spite of their heroic efforts, the seagulls kept coming and there didn't seem to be an end to the attacks. Disheartened, they resolved to retreat in the safety of the cabins in the hope that the birds would give up eventually. The crew was wary to picture the state in which they would find the Deathscythe in the morrow but they had far more pressing worries for the moment. Nobody had escaped unscathed and they were prompt in retrieving the bandages and beginning dressing their wounds. Some were minor scratches that didn't require much care, others were deep slashes and those were left to the expert care of the Doc who applied stitches when needed. Meiran was the worst of them all and had passed out from pain and fright. Wufei was hovering protectively over her and didn't accept any care for his own wounds until O had assured him she would be fine.

They were a pretty sad bunch all bandaged and huddled in the living quarters while throwing fearful glances to the ceiling through which they could still hear the shrill cries and frantic wings of the seagulls. Once they had somewhat calmed a little they all turn accusatory glares to their Captain who sighed with resignation.

"Okay, maybe we **are** cursed."

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To __**Impish**__: I have to confess I have a soft spot for Trowa. He is the easiest one to grant a sarcastic tone to and that often put him in the envied position of narrator. He's also cute when he's all confused like here, isn't he?_

_To __**Hikaru**__: It is almost cannon to have an hysterical Heero. Sure he's kinda stern in GW but he has also his moments of near madness. Do not fear Deathscythe's crew will most assuredly have a field day with Heero's special brand of puppy-love come obsession. I am really grateful for enthusiasm even while I grumble after people for pushing me too hard to update. Don't change a thing! As for the 1x2 parts, they will come in due time, it's just that the end of this story seems further away with each new chapter and the sexy bits can't come before a few more things happen._

_To __**Aryam**__: I wanted to point on the hysteria mounting and as I can't picture Heero crying, laughter was the only way. He's going to go insane before I'm through if Duo don't give him some loving. _

_To __**Carolina**__: Unfortunately Deathscythe's crew is not any closer to get rid of this curse and chances are it will get worse before it gets better. However, despite his troubles Duo will continue to drive Heero crazy... or is it the other way around? Let's say they'll make quite the pair. Nataku and Heavyarms have not yet planned guest appearances, though nothing's set yet and everything is possible. _

_To __**Camillian**__: Heero will get better eventually. That doesn't mean that he'll manage to catch Duo, at least probably not in the way he thought he would. wink wink _

_To __**Amara**__: You are remarkably perceptible in the sense that I contemplated going with the Dread Pirate Roberts for a while. Even more so since Princess Bride was airing once again not long ago but I finally discarded that idea, still it is true there is a mystery around Captain Shinigami even if I won't spoil anything. ;P As for Quatre that is a great idea, I can't totally picture him offering tea to the prisoners while the rest of the crew gapes... Hmm that has potential._

_To __**Mier**__: Wufei is quite the mother-hen yes. He has that kind of gruff loving I find terribly cute. We'll see more about his protective ways soon and yeah he'll be wary of Heero's interest in Duo. Port Royal is a must-see in this time, I couldn't pass it up. So aside from similar places and circumstances this story doesn't have anything to do with PotC. If there is any mention of Jack, Will or anyone else from the movie, and that's a big if that will only be as a slight homage. Thanks for reviewing. _


	10. The Military Frigate

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R (will eventually be NC-17)

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wanted to apologize for being so tardy with this part. You might think there isn't much going on in this chapter but it was a bitch to write. Till now I had managed to avoid taking a stance as of historical exactitude but I finally had to take the plunge. So, I rest my case that the story takes place in the Caribbean most likely in mid 17th century. However, that is just a standpoint as I chose to not stay faithful to accurate history but to go AU instead. You will have to consider the background as being somewhat similar to Caribbean history but with a few twists as I was too lazy to search in depths for real dates, events, politics, etc... The historical has turned around to become fiction and as such I hope you will forgive occasional discrepancies or other anachronisms. All you have to know is that the Kingdoms cited in this story: Sank, Lagrange, Oz and Romfeller are loosely based on the four real powers of this era, respectively Great Britain, France, Spain and Netherlands. However the interaction between the countries in this story aren't a real reflect of how History really went.

Chapter 10 : The Military Frigate

Heero had passed the point of frustration for a while now and he was leaning toward full blown fury fast. Despite the relative promiscuity that was one of the major inconvenience of the life onboard a ship, every soldiers managed to give him a permanent wide berth. It wasn't that unusual but had taken ludicrous proportions as of late. Lieutenant Noin and Trowa were the only ones brave enough to approach the seething beast. As the second in command, Noin didn't have much of a choice but to interact with the Captain no matter his mood. The dark-haired Lieutenant appeared like a level-headed individual anyway, there wasn't much that fazed him. Trowa wasn't afraid of Heero either and had committed himself early on on being Heero's supportive friend whatever happened. That entailed being there even when your efforts were vastly unappreciated. With his quirky sense of humor though, it was more of a guilty pleasure than a chore and he found the whole situation hysterical.

The Captain Lowe had been so enthusiastic in the beginnings that his troupes had been worried about his sanity. He had managed to round a crew, freight the Wing and depart Sank in under an hour. That was a feat. Mean observers would argue that as he hadn't bothered with authorization from his superiors it wasn't all that impressive. However, Heero knew that Admiral Noventa wouldn't be angered by his impulsive actions. The old man had been in the Military long enough to know that at times urgency was required above pointless legalities. The Admiral had every confidence in his Captain's decision making and knew well the young man wasn't the sort to abuse that kind of trust.

The person more likely to be outraged by his hasty departure on the other hand was the Colonel Lowe. Regardless of the fact he was in the Infantry and as such shouldn't have any say in the affairs of a Navy officer, Heero's grandfather made it a point to always know of his grandson's assignments and usually managed to terminate them when they weren't to his liking. This time, the news would come to him too late for him to do anything about it and his reaction would probably be bad. Would Heero have gone to inform him of the situation, the Colonel would have most likely forbidden him to depart, wary to have the lad away from his imposed fiancée before the deed was done. That's part of the reason the Captain hadn't bothered to tell anyone. There hadn't been enough time as it was. Too bad, so sad and all that.

Heero was eager when his heavily armed Wing sailed away from Sank. He was very proud of the frigate which had been given into his command years ago. Wing was the fastest ship of Sank Navy and had participated in many a battle always victorious in the end. Its elegant lines and angel-shaped figurehead were well-known in the Caribbean and buccaneers and privateers alike had learned to keep clear of it. Heero was certain that so equipped, it would take no time before he catch the Sandrock, even if he hadn't the slightest idea as to which direction the brigantine had taken.

One week later and with naught a sign of his goal, the Captain's mood had taken a one-eighty. Wing was still sailing fast, but without direction it was mostly pointless. They were going in circles, literally, hoping they would find a lead, stopping at times to hail another boat and ask if someone had seen the elusive brigantine. They didn't have much success as it was likely that the only ones who would have had interesting information were the same buccaneers and privateers who were avoiding the Wing. It was like a rehearsal of Heero's stunt on the docks when he was looking for Helen and he had a perfectly clear memory of how well that had gone... If that hadn't been such a silly idea Heero would have believed Sandrock was a mere costume like Helen had been. Shows how much fantasies one's brains can come up with when sufficiently desperate...

The sensible thing to do would have been to turn sail and go back to Sank when it became clear that the Sandrock had escaped. Alas the Captain Lowe wasn't ready to give up. He didn't know if he ever would be. Catching Shinigami had became a great deal more personal since the prank he had played on him personally and Heero wouldn't rest as long as he didn't have the pirate at his mercy. He was long past reasoning anyway as, when he was completely honest with himself, he wondered whom of Shinigami or Helen did he want to catch the more. That was insanity obviously as he had come to terms with the fact that Helen Winner wasn't real and yet in the privacy of his cabin, he sometimes indulged in imagining meeting her again. The dreams that ensued were the most vivid he had ever had and also the most lurid. The only good thing that had come from all this mess was that his "Holy Maiden" as Trowa had dubbed her wasn't all that holy anymore. The incident had given her flesh in his imagination and the will to touch her as a man should without fear of sullying her. He met her often at night and didn't refrain anymore from taking what he wanted, showering her alabaster skin with passionate kisses and avid caresses. It was convenient that in those indecent encounters his mind kept abstracting her being a male.

Even if he had gotten the will to give up on his pursuit, there were too much arguments in favor of him keeping away from Sank. As long as he was sailing, he didn't have to worry about what his grandfather would do to him when he got back. He could also savor being away from Relena even if he was somewhat curious as to what she would say about Shinigami's presence near her apartments. The peculiarity of that event hadn't escaped him, nor that Trowa seemed to have drawn his own conclusions explaining Shinigami's visit. Heero would have shared the belief in most circumstances but he had trouble picturing Duo Maxwell with Relena. The man mustn't lack for offers and had no reason to go for the Governor's daughter. Regardless of what Heero had said in defense of the woman to reassure Trowa, when you got down to it and aside from being another human being, Relena didn't have much going for her as far as picking a lover went.

Heero was brooding on the bow of Wing as he had been for the better part of his days. His eyes were fixed upon the horizon as if he was expecting to catch a glimpse of his prey any moment. As each day past though expectation had given way to weary habit. He heard footsteps behind him. He identified his visitor at his gait and braced himself for the upcoming intrusion. He knew it would be Trowa, he would have known even if the man hadn't been deliberately making noise to announce his presence. His friend had been relentlessly pursuing his company for days. Any pretext was good enough for him to come chat with Heero. If he had been in any other sort of mood, the Captain Lowe would have find humorous the length at which his usually silent friend went to drag him into conversation. As it was, it was annoying.

It was painful enough to have to deal with Noin's clockwork visits when he was given report of their progress -or lack thereof- in a clipped tone that exuded disapproval. The Lieutenant was a conscientious officer and had a great dislike for all infringement to military discipline. That was the reason why Noin worked so well with the Captain Lowe as he was himself to be commended for his seriousness. This time however Heero was behaving in an irrational way that grated on the Lieutenant's nerves. It wasn't like him to go on a wild goose-chase nor to disregard protocols. It was only by force of will and thanks to the great deal of respect Noin had toward his Captain that his pointed advice to get back to port hadn't turned into real arguments. It would have been untoward to lecture one's superior officer. However, he found other means to show his opinion and Heero was under no illusion as to what his Lieutenant was thinking about the situation.

That's why he was so wary to speak with Trowa as he knew that his friend wouldn't be as subtle in admonishing him. Worse even he might be coming to see how Heero was doing and if the Captain was reluctant to justify actions he didn't himself fully comprehend, he was completely resolute not to talk about his feelings. The Captain Lowe didn't get emotional. It had been drilled into him since a very young age that men of means don't advertise their feelings, it was uncouth and unmanly. Still, Heero had recently discovered that it was much more easy to hide one's own feelings when you didn't have them at all. In his present state of mind and with such a shrewd man as Trowa Barton it got much more problematic. The Captain was expecting a blunt approach from his friend as the previous times had gone and was thus surprised by the opening platitude.

"Nice weather we're having, don't you think Heero?"

Unbalanced, he turned toward the intruder and seeing the smirk on Trowa's lips, gathered it had been the desired effect. He didn't even try to dim his small smile, grudgingly acknowledging his friend's astuteness. Heero knew when he was beaten and would let the other be smug. Though he wouldn't go as far as to respond with more than an arched eyebrow. If Trowa was set on talking with him he would let him, but he didn't have to make it easy. The spy shook his head with a rueful chuckle and got the conversational ball rolling, ignoring his interlocutor's continued silence. Once again his choice of topic managed to surprise Heero. He was much too good at that.

"Were you aware that your First Lieutenant is a woman?"

He debated internally about the virtues of answering but guessed that as long as they weren't discussing his feelings there wasn't much point in keeping silent. He shrugged. "How did you come to this conclusion?"

Trowa gave him a penetrating glance, trying to assess what he knew himself before sharing his own observations. "For one, she has too fair features for a male even with the stern expression she's always maintaining. She speaks in a husky voice but it gets high-pitched at times when she's distracted. I never caught her changing nor bathing with the others and yet obviously it's not because she's not bathing at all, only that she always does it in privacy. She never takes off her uniform vest no matter how hot it is while even you do it on occasion. It seems she wants to hide something like for example the bindings she kept her breasts in. Oh yeah and she blushed an interesting shade of red when I accidentally on purpose let her catch me stark naked and masturbating. That's the kind of thing common enough in such close quarters that a male wouldn't even have blinked."

The Captain studied his friend a moment and observed wryly: "You must be pretty bored..."

"What can I say? I always loved a good mystery. You don't seem surprised?"

"I'm not."

"Doesn't that bother you to have her as your second in command? I thought it was bad luck to have a woman onboard."

"She's qualified enough to do her job and as far as I'm concerned that's all that matters. And anyway, if I was inclined to give faith to such silly superstitions, the figurehead would be female and half-naked instead of a warrior angel."

"You used to despise liars so why so lenient with her?"

Heero looked away briefly and appeared contemplative before saying in a self-depreciative tone: "Trowa, for years I have pretended to be the respectable Captain Lowe, last descendant of an old Sancian house when in truth I am the bastard son of a disinherited convict and a Japanese prostitute, so tell me what rights do I have to judge the morals of anyone?" He was blunt and didn't wait for an answer. "She must have her own motives as I have mine, so I won't do anything to confront her. I know and she knows I know. That's all that matter. Anyway, she's all the more loyal for it."

Heero had a faraway look. Trowa hadn't expected the discussion to turn so gloomy so he was prompt in orienting the topic in the direction he had hoped it would go. "What is it around here with all the people crossdressing? Is it some custom I wasn't aware of?"

They were finally on the subject that mattered, namely Helen, even if Trowa had used convoluted means to get to that point. The Captain Lowe made a show of looking blank, expertly avoiding the green eyes. The spy sighed, he had expected as mush but was tired of this game and decided to push. However, before he had time to call his friend on his avoidance, they were interrupted by a shout from the crow's nest.

"Sail ahead!"

All noises that had stayed unnoticed to this point were silenced. All sailors stopped what they had been doing and turned their eyes to the sea. You never knew who you would encounter around here and you better be prepared for the worst. Nobody was at war per se, not yet anyway, but the most mundane of conflicts brewing in the faraway Europe tended to ignite fast under the unforgiving sun of the Caribbean. Colonies might call themselves New Sank, Nuevo Oz, Nouvelle Lagrange, Nieuw Romfeller but their homelands were just too far to dictate them their politics. An ocean away from the European court intrigues, the Governors were playing at being Kings in their own rights and were more preoccupied with gaining new territories to boast about to their home countries when the time of elections came than with keeping tracks of all the changing allegiances. Alliances were fickle while old enmities of wars past were often rekindled.

Heero himself was watching the horizon with a different kind of trepidation. He wasn't worried about going into battle, he knew his Wing could take on anyone if it came down to that. Rather than fret about a possible enemy, he was still hoping against all odds that the blurry shape he could barely discern ahead would be the elusive Sandrock. The second cry of the lookout who had a far better view from his perch on the mainmast dashed this irrational hope.

"Oz's ensign. It's a galleon. 1500 tons at the least."

And just like that Heero was the composed Captain Lowe again. "Everyone at your post! Noin take the helm! Cannons at the ready but don't open the scuttles! Give more sails, we want to reach them fast!"

The soldiers scattered away with quiet efficiency and before long only Heero, Trowa and the lookout were still watching the approaching ship. The Captain was squinting hard to identify the galleon as soon as possible, he had to know if a battle was coming. Barton had a far lesser eyesight than his friend and wasn't yet acquainted enough with all things sailing that he could be of any help in this instance. Rather than wait for feedback and confident his inquiry wouldn't be enough to distract Heero, he quietly asked: "So, friend or foe?"

Without breaking his concentration nor taking his eyes off of the galleon, the Captain answered distractedly. "That's the question. Oz and Sank are allied as of late, but not everyone respect the non-aggressive consensus. I have to know who..."

He hmmed thoughtfully and frowned at the same time another shout was coming down from the crow's nest. "That's the Tallgeese, Sir. They wish to parley."

Heero himself had seen the flags at the mizzenmast and knew the galleon had proclaimed its good intentions and requested an audience. Still, he didn't like it. The Tallgeese accused almost two thousands tons and one hundred cannons, half of which being the deadly culverins. It was of an ancient make as most nations had stopped producing galleons a few years back and favored frigates which were fastest. However, as old as it was, the Tallgeese had been built to last and if Wing could out-sail and out-maneuver it anytime, at close range the heavier galleon could badly damage Heero's ship should there be a battle.

There wasn't any reason to believe the request to parley was anything but honest if not for Captain Lowe's military experience which told him that getting close could be walking into a trap and forfeit any speed advantage. Lesser men had been lured by such deception before and Heero didn't know if he could place his trust in the Captain of the Tallgeese when he knew that Treize Kushrenada was a privateer known to be cunning and ruthless. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a choice. Turning sail would be cowardly and could be taken as an offense from Sank, while attacking first without provocation would be an act of war his country wouldn't condone. The only thing to do was to accept the request hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. Heero hated politics.

"Give them the okay. Reduce the sails, we will wait for them." After a moment he added. "Stay ready to defend in case of fool play, but don't be obvious about it."

His orders were followed with the same diligence as earlier. The faces were grim but set in determination. All soldiers knew the danger they were in and what they were risking by playing at being defenseless. They also knew better than to disobey their Captain and as much as they disliked and feared him as a man, they respected him as a commander.

Heero didn't have the time nor the will to go back to his cabin to put his dress uniform on. It should be the appropriate courtesy to give his visitor as explained in all diplomacy manuals. Alas, the Captain Lowe wasn't one to play such games. In his opinion soldiers shouldn't be bothered with such ludicrous things and as his grandfather wasn't anywhere near to give him a lecture, he would do without starched collar, pressed pants and pom-pom epaulettes. He was sure Kushrenada himself would probably be dressed as pompously as could be. He sneered at the thought, Tallgeese's Captain sure was the sort while Heeero knew better than to judge a man at his frills.

There wasn't much to do for now but wait, he thus turned his idle thoughts toward his silent companion. Trowa hadn't moved from his side but looked tense, the poor man had probably no clue what to expect and wasn't used to feel so useless. Taking pity, the Captain reassured him at best he could.

"Kushrenada's an Oz privateer. I don't think it's in his best interests to attack us, but however it goes I'm sure this meeting will prove to be a wealth of information for your little investigation."

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_Reply to reviewers:_

_To **Camillian**: Yeah I chose to go with the irony for the chapter title; "the exceptionally bad journey" would have been too obvious I don't think there is any doubt left that there are cursed now but I'll still make things worse... just to be sure. Sorry for the late update, I'll try to work more diligently from now on. _

_To **Hikaru**: Glad to see you so amused and still faithful to this story. Nothing but the big guns would have made Duo admit to being cursed and the reason for his reticence will come to light later. Not Wing meets Deathscythe for now, but nobody knows what the future is made of._

_To **Amara**: We never said Wu-wu was the most rational of beings but at least he should get points for effort. :P_


	11. The Pirates' Haven

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R (will eventually be NC-17)

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Owie! I have too much things to fit in Duo's point of view and too little for Heero lately, so this chapter is a little longer than the others and so will be chapter 13. I'm pretty sure you won't be too bothered by that but don't get too used to it as further parts might shrunk back to their original size.

Chapter 11 : The Pirates' Haven

Curses works in strange ways and the most annoying thing about them is not so much that they are relentless but that they are unpredictable. You think you have them all figured out and you are somewhat resigned to your fate, that's when the rules change. For some time, there are no new development to your endeavor and you naively think that maybe the curse has been lifted. With the lull you immerse in a false sense of security, you even begin to believe that maybe someone up there has intervened on your behalf at last. Of course, you don't act on your relief; you're wary still for a while, but after a few days you can't help but to give in and rejoice at your good luck. Then, fate strikes again and she appears all the more vicious for the calm spell you dared indulge in. Haphazardly alternating mere annoyances, great dramas and unexpected remissions, curses keep you on your toes and sooner or later they wear away the resolve of even the bravest of men so much that you have no choice but to give up. Unfortunately and that's where the relentless part of curses comes to play, even when all your hopes have been forsaken, even while you sit down dejected and says aloud: "I quit", you are still cursed and the worse has yet to come.

Once you come to terms with those few truths, you should understand the best way -well the only way really- to deal with a curse. It may be no use to wait for divine intervention but it is as pointless to give up. The way to go is to pretend there is no curse even when you know very well there is. It's just a matter of rolling with the punches, no matter what crappy hand the curse deals you next, you play with it the best you can and above all you avoid to think about the end of the game because for all you know you might not live to see it. That may appear as a strange strategy but when it comes down to it that's the sanest thing to do. Too bad it takes someone of outstanding character to understand that simple concept and you should be prepared to encounter fierce opposition by your peers on top of your curse's antics. Yet, a man has to do what a man has to do.

That's why Duo Maxwell was remarkably calm and composed when he came down from the gangway on the docks of Port-Royal. That is also for the same reason that all of his crew were gloomy, frustrated and not talking to him. It had been that way for three days, ever since they all woke up aboard Deathscythe to a scene of carnage amidst which their Captain was picking up the remnants of shredded sails and ... whistling of all things. He had welcome them with a great big smile some would have called manic and had cheerfully distributed brooms and rags ordering them to wash the ship. His apparent good humor would probably have been better received if he had imparted them with his knowledge of curses and his way to deal with them. Alas, the philosophy itself dictated that you should just ignore the curse and behave like it was any other day, thus the crew was left dumbfounded and angered by Duo's indifference. They obeyed his orders still because regardless of their mood, something had to be done regarding the state of the Deathscythe. There were bird droppings everywhere and no self-respecting sailor could tolerate a ship in such a disgusting state.

Soon the work was underway and there was a growing pile of unmendable things on the main deck. Among those lay every one of the black sails which was most troublesome as, as luck would have it, the wind choose the moment it was noticed to pick up. They were all watching the skeletal shapes the divested black masts made against the blue sky, it was dubious the newly awaken wind would be of any help in this instance. They were interrupted in their silent contemplation by the resounding splash of useless debris being thrown over the guardrail by their over-enthusiastic Captain. They joined him in his efforts mourning aside the absence of the damned cross amidst all that junk. Getting rid of the thing might not have saved them by this point but it still would have been very satisfying.

Once that was done and Deathscythe was clean again without having gone back to the pristine state he had been in before the seagulls' attack, Duo informed his crew they would switch back to the Sandrock and continue their journey as they were still expected by Serin and couldn't allow for more wasted time. There was no protest as they knew once in Port-royal the old man would disburden them of the cross. Thus, they did as told. The following days were anti-climatic and they anchored in Port-Royal without further incidents.

The first time you saw Port-Royal, you had to be awed. It was a city unlike any others, mostly because it gave off a feeling of freedom not found anywhere else. "City" might have been pretentious a word to use because it wasn't that big, but it was so busy, bustling with activity and resonating with joyous sounds that it appeared bigger than it was. It wasn't as seedy as people would have expected of a pirates' haven but it was true enough that there were very few law abiding citizens and even fewer honest trades. However, in spite of the inherent wickedness of most inhabitants and visitors alike, there were very few troubles around the town. Often arguments would turn into enormous brawls where every passer-by would come in give their two-cents and a few punches of their own, but those always ended with mere bruises, loosened teeth and the odd broken bone. Contestants eventually landed in the closest tavern making peace over a few bottles of rum and that was that.

It was rare that people died of anything but natural deaths in Port-Royal. Murders were almost unheard of. On the odd times it happened, the citizens did justice themselves because there was no authority to speak of. Offenders were usually turned away from the town and forbidden to come back against threats of reprisal. Executions rarely occurred because the various criminals living there already saw too much of them on the outside world and didn't want to contaminate their haven with such practices. Of course, if someone had really offended the community, they were fair game once at sea and past offenders never came back to Port-Royal, not so much because they feared punishment but because they were already too dead to come back.

Without laws, authorities nor anyone to govern, it shouldn't have worked and yet it did. The town was built on the private funds of everyone who wanted to contribute. Amazingly enough they were many wanting to. Pirates, escaped convicts, rogue slaves and other petty criminals had left their greed on the docks and learned to share, reveling in a blissful kinship only encountered in Port-Royal.

The only thing vaguely resembling organization was the way the docks were managed. A council of sort, not so much elected but composed of volunteers of all trades kept track of the comings and goings of the ships. It wasn't from a desire for order but as a very real necessity as if they couldn't care less for the identity nor the honesty of new-comers, they feared being infiltrated by Military. Anyone but those were welcome in Port-Royal, you needn't any credentials other than the sum of money the council asked of you to grant you dock space. That price could vary according to who was in attendance at the docks, the mood they were in or the impression you made on arrival, but no matter the amount of the fee no one cared to protest. Ban the occasional hijacking, the money thus collected was used to support the community with things of public utility. That entailed mostly repairing the docks, arming the port against eventual Military invaders and of course maintaining a steady stock of rum on the island.

Most of the world might have thought Port-Royal was Hell itself, but for its inhabitants, it was the closest of Heaven they could ever hope to go. If it hadn't been for his beloved Deathscythe, Duo would have probably made a home there and as it went it felt more like one for him than he had ever known. The Deathscythe was never anchored anywhere in its real form, not even in this pirates' haven as Shinigami needed to keep alive the mystery surrounding his ship and himself. The Sandrock however was a regular visitor there and Duo had fast and good deals with the council. In nary a moment the mandatory formalities were dealt with and Shinigami was on his way to Serin's shop.

Quatre, Meiran and Wufei were accompanying him. They were walking a few paces behind him, rigid as any honor's guard. That distance though wasn't kept with any sense of respect for their Captain but because, even if they didn't want to risk losing him in the crowd, they wouldn't be caught dead at less than ten feet from the cross he kept bundled in cloth under one arm. The curse hadn't done anything for a few days now and they feared it would make a last attempt on their life before they could get rid of the cross. On the off chance lightening would strike Shinigami or other such freak accident, they thought they were better off staying clear. In other circumstances, the three friends would have fought to be first in line to try and defend their Captain against any danger, but they were still a bit peeved with his casual attitude of the past days and had unanimously decided he could take care of himself for once.

The curiosities' shop of Serin was situated about a mile from the docks in what passed for the good neighborhood of Port-Royal. The walk took little time and soon Duo was standing in front of a nondescript wooden house only distinguishing itself from the others by an obvious lack of repairs. It was easy to notice the changes the shop had undertaken since their last visit a month and a half ago. For one, it was closed with planks barring door and windows and even more worryingly the sign which used to proudly announce: "Serin's Curiosities" was conspicuous by its absence.

Duo sighed then complained mumbling: "Why am I not surprised?"

"Huh?"

The pirate threw an humorless glance to his friends who had joined him in his contemplation of the shop. It wasn't anymore time to keep their distance, cross be damned and them with it. Wufei and Meiran appeared disbelieving, but sharp intelligence was at work behind Quatre's aqua-marine eyes.

"Do you think Serin's dead?"

"A possibility... but doubtful."

"So where is he? Last time, I got the feeling he wanted that cross very bad. He was ready to pay anything. Someone like that wouldn't just... vanish."

Duo was tapping nervous fingers on his chin, expression thoughtful. "He wouldn't, would he? Unless..."

Uneasy, Quatre studied his Captain. "You're thinking about something."

"Hmm hmm, I am." He thought some more then pursued at Quatre's probing look. "I'm just beginning to think all of this has been damn convenient. Serin is a collector, he doesn't like to part with any piece of his collection. He only sell something as a last resort when he wants something else badly enough that he knows the sacrifice will be worth it. Yet he offered us a fortune for that cross and didn't even try to bargain while he knew he would have to sell good items to afford our fee. The facts simply don't seem to add up..."

"And you're thinking about that now?" Wufei, obviously pissed still. "Perhaps that thing's worth it. It might grant immortality or endless wealth for all we know. That's not like we could learn anything about it beside its location..."

"My point exactly. We had it for a few weeks now and we didn't see it do anything good. If it could, we would have. We couldn't find anyone to tell us what it did and yet it was no trouble at all to find it. I'll admit it was a little hard to retrieve but nothing we couldn't deal with and everyone who knows anything about us would have known we would succeed. That's convenient, don't you think?"

Quatre hissed a startled breath: "Allah! It's like someone wanted for it to land in our lap."

"Yeah. And whoever it was went to great lengths to make sure it would. Serin isn't a man easy to buy."

"But who?"

It was the first time since the seagulls Duo had heard Meiran talk. She looked badly shaken. Wufei was the one to answer.

"Who knows? Shinigami didn't make all that much friends the last few years. That could be anyone..."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence 'Fei."

Quatre cleared his throat to try and dissipate the argument he felt coming. He had had a little time to think and he didn't like the picture forming in his mind one bit.

"Speaking of convenient, didn't you ever wonder what the Epyon and the Romfeller fluyte were doing just outside the archipelago where we found the cross. It's inhabited but technically it still is Lagrange territory so they should have no business there. It could be a coincidence but..."

"But there's no such things as coincidences. It's like they were waiting for us. They knew we would be there. They only had to wait for us to retrieve the cross, hope it would do its mumbo-jumbo which they must have seen confirmed when we were caught in the first storm and attack once Deathscythe was already mangled. Clever. I can't believe I missed that!"

"Let Wufei deal with the self-flagellating Duo, it doesn't suit you. Will you let us throw the cross away now?"

Wufei glared at Meiran who studiously ignored him. She was instead concentrating her ire on her Captain who looked mighty pissed himself. He could do without her sarcasm, the situation was bad enough without someone needing to remember him how bad of a screw-up he was, thank you very much. He was readying a scathing retort when he noticed her appearance. He had carefully avoided looking at her the past few days, it was easier to do so in order to pretend the curse didn't exist. Only now did he take the time to assess her condition. She had nasty scratches all over thanks to her encounter with the seagulls from Hell. Some looked pretty bad and most would scar. He grimaced. Her face was ashen and she was trembling. She didn't look all that good but moreover, she looked scared. Meiran was a brash young woman, always standing up to any danger with nary a concern for her well-being. She was all heart and no brain most of the time, she wasn't afraid of anything. She shouldn't look like a wraith-like child whose just been told the monsters under her bed were real and had it in them for her. He took a big cleansing breath trying to reign in on his temper. They all were having a bad month and taking it on each other wouldn't help any. He sighed heavily, weary to have to disappoint his friends once again.

"It's not that simple Meiran. I wish it was, believe me I really do, but we can't get rid of the cross..."

"The Hell we can't! What are you waiting for? For someone to die? I'll do it if you want. You give me that piece of crap and I'm going to throw it in the ocean and that's the end of it."

Quatre had put his hand on Meiran's shoulder while Wufei blocked her path to Duo with a solid arm. They were restraining her but with little enthusiasm. It was clear that if the woman really wanted to be free she could have shaken their hesitant grasp. It was also very clear on the two men's expression that they would let her go if their Captain didn't come up with an explanation about why he wanted to keep the blasted cross fast. The bounty argument didn't hold anymore with their buyer missing and no amount of money was worth their past trials anyway.

"Curses are tricky. None of you have ever been cursed before. I have and I learned a few things. If it looks too easy, it usually because there's a trap somewhere. I don't know how this one works and yeah there is a chance that throwing the cross away would lift it..." He waved the hand which didn't hold said cross to stop the new protestations. "...but it also can make it worse, much worse. Giving the circumstances, I'm guessing it will be the latter. Someone went out of his way to doom us and I don't think they would have make it that simple a problem to solve. As you said yourself Meiran, nobody died... yet. The curse might not be at full-blast and I for one have no desire to see it coming down to that. With the luck we're having lately, I'm not taking any chances. We'll have to know exactly what this artefact is and what it does before doing anything about it. And that's final!"

All three of his friends were studying him for any sign he wasn't being truthful. They couldn't find any. Shinigami didn't joke with curses, he wouldn't dare, of course _they_ didn't know that. When Quatre would finally have come up with an answer to his Captain's diatribe be it with support or another argument, Meiran collapsed as if her strings had been cut.

Instantly the three men were crouching over her, frantic and trying unsuccessfully to rouse her. Compassionate as usual, Wufei was slapping her with plenty of energy with no result whatsoever save for reddening her otherwise pallid cheeks. Even more inept with women, if at all possible, Duo was replaying all the feminine dead faints he had ever witnessed and loosened her corsage to help her breathe. Of course, that might have been more useful if Meiran had been the type to wear a corset or to fake languor to attract attention. Disgusted, Quatre chased them both away with a few words and a mean glare. Once he had the room to work, he did a basic exam of her vitals. He didn't like what he found and his frown threw his two friends in another bout of hysteria. Tough males, my ass! Give them a swooning female and they were falling all other themselves. He would have liked to see them growing up with twenty-nine sisters, that is the way to toughen up a man.

"She's burning up, her heart's beating too fast and she has trouble breathing. I don't like the color of her skin either. I'm not sure it's wise to move her but we can't leave her on the street. Whatever she has, we need a doctor and soon."

The three exchanged worried looks and a world of silent communication. In no time Meiran was ensconced in Quatre's coat and cradled close in Wufei's arms like she was the most precious thing in the world. They were running to the docks desperate to take her to the security of the Deathscythe and the competent care of Doc O. Duo in full Shinigami persona was opening the way, rudely pushing aside anyone who showed the least intent to slow them down. Midway he almost collided with a just as hurried Abdul whose sigh of relief upon finding his Captain was swallowed as soon as he noticed the unconscious girl.

"Ahmad, Howard and O have also collapsed Captain. What do we do?"

"Damn! If O can't treat her we have to find another doctor and it better be fast if it is an epidemic. We may all be contagious."

Coming from Quatre it was a worrying statement even worse because it came with a cuss. Quatre Winner never cussed. Duo was looking around trying to find someone to point them to the closest doctor. Alas, in his panic his friend had spoken aloud and if there were words not to utter in a Caribbean settlement, even one of fearsome pirates, they were "epidemic" and "contagious". They were completely alone on the street. Duo swore, he hated feeling helpless.

Suddenly there was a pretty blond in front of him. He managed to stifle his startled gasp –barely- and studied the apparition. She looked thirty-something, pretty with serious blue eyes, twin braids and a kind if reserved smile.

"Hi! I hear you need a doctor."

He wondered how she could have known so fast or arrive in the nick of time when he was pretty sure she hadn't been there a minute ago but knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Yes we need a doctor. My friend collapse and three more people on my ship."

"Okay. Follow me. That's just around the corner. Send someone to bring the others over. The third on Camino Perez."

It was said on such a no-nonsense tone that nobody thought to argue. With a swift glance from his Captain, Abdul went back running toward the docks while the others followed the blond woman. She walked at a brisk pace and they matched her speed. In under five minutes, the little procession entered the ground floor of an unpretentious two-stories building. They were ushered in a clear room smelling of disinfectant. There was a neat desk and two chairs in a corner, a few cabinets and tidy bookcases along the walls and a small bed in the back. Without being urged to Wufei deposited his precious burden on the bed and stayed close hovering over her protectively. He didn't look like he planned to leave her side anytime soon. Duo was standing at the open door watching the street for their other friends who shouldn't be too long in coming. The woman downed a clean apron she had just taken out of a cabinet and washed her hands in a bassinet full of soapy water. When she went to look over Meiran, Quatre got in her way.

"Excuse me Miss...?"

"Po. Sally Po. You can call me Sally. Every one does."

"Sally. Right! Where is the doctor?"

"I am! Now if you'll excuse me I have a patient to attend to."

She elbowed him aside but was again interrupted a step further, by Wufei this time. She sighed.

"You're a woman!"

"Fine observation skills you have there lad. If you could move, it would be easier to treat your wife."

"She's not my wife. And you can't treat her! You're a woman."

"Girlfriend, whatever! Believe it or not I am a perfectly qualified doctor and this girl needs care now. So unless you want to let her die, scram!"

Sally was clearly annoyed but Wufei didn't look like he would move. She looked for support from the others and arrested her choice on the nice-looking blond who appeared the more level-headed of the three. Quatre gazed in her serious eyes for a moment and coming to a decision pushed his Chinese friend out of her way.

"She seems to know what she's doing and she's all we got, so play nice for the time being, please."

Wufei argued for a while longer but it was quasi impossible to sway Quatre once he had taken a decision. Anyway, he was right: they didn't have much choice. He went to sulk in a corner still keeping Meiran and the lady doctor under a watchful gaze. Sally was ignoring them both and the exam was already well underway. She was efficient, that was evident to see for anyone looking on without prejudice against her sex. She was also keeping her face carefully blank, not giving away the slightest clue as to the condition of her patient. The atmosphere was tense and growing tenser by the minute.

"She's covered in wounds. What happened to her?"

"She was attacked by seagulls."

Sally looked up sharply and stared incredulous at Wufei. "Seagulls? Do you expect me to believe that load of crap? I need to know what really happened." Her tone oozed with disapproval. She clearly thought one of them had hurt Meiran. Most likely Wufei who protested indignantly. Quatre kept his calm. He didn't blame her. That was the more logical explanation and so much easier to believe than the reality which sounded just... well insane. He cleared his throat and impressed on her how serious he was by a pointed look once she glanced his way.

"Seagulls! I know that sounds insane but it's true. We were attacked by crazy seagulls three days ago and most of our crew was hurt. Meiran's just took the worst of it. We can show you our scratches if you want."

Sally tried to stare him down but returned to her task when she saw it wouldn't work. She was still shaking her head and mumbling, unconvinced, though she had better things to do than argue the point.

"She has sutures, did one of you do them?"

"No. We have a doctor onboard, he did them."

"So if you already have a doctor what are you doing here?"

"He's one of the three others who collapsed. They should bring him in shortly."

"Great! I'll have to treat a colleague, just what I needed. Doctors make the worst patients and I can already guess he'll also have something to say about me being a woman..."

Her angry mutters were interrupted by Duo's grave voice. "They're here."

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Camillian**: Voilà! I updated really soon. Anything for my adoring public. ;; And yes there is plenty going on in this story. So much in fact that I'm not quite sure I'll be able to deal with everything without forgetting to tie some loose ends here and there. I guess we'll see._

_To **Hikaru**: Yeah Kushrenada! When I'm through I think all GW characters will have make an appearance. That's Treize's turn but just to be up-front his shades of grey will be much darker than in the series. Hope you'll enjoy the newest chapter. _


	12. The Royal Privateer

TITLE: CAPTAINS

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R (will eventually be NC-17)

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know there are again many descriptions but they all have a point so try not to get too cranky with me...

Chapter 12 : The Royal Privateer

The progression of the galleon had been slow. The wait excruciating for Heero and his soldiers, but the Tallgeese was there at last. Close enough that people on both decks were throwing ropes overboard to moor the two ships together. At this distance the galleon loomed over the Wing, their difference in size ludicrous. The Military frigate looked almost ashamed and much too frail. The sight was ominous and Heero couldn't help but feel like the careless farmer who just let the fox in the henhouse. And yes the picture was lifelike as, if Heero was no farmer, he wouldn't have been surprised if Kushrenada did indeed have fox blood running in his veins. That would have explained the cunning, the toothy grin and even the shiny auburn locks in a weird way.

It was not an attack or at least didn't look like one, save maybe for a botched one... or a very clever one. There were no men sliding along the ropes to swarm the Wing's deck. A proper gangway was installed instead. And proper it was, ridiculously so. It was no mere plank but an honest to God wooden stairs with a handrail. Coming from anyone else, keeping such a thing onboard a ship, a privateer ship at that, would have seemed pretty stupid. Yet Heero had expected no less. He'd have bet his right hand the step of that stairs had been cut out of massive oak. He wouldn't have been fazed either if Kushrenada's lackeys were to unroll a red carpet on top of it next. So much that he was almost disappointed when they didn't.

The arrogance of the man was boundless. He acted like he wanted to crush you under his royal presence, make you feel how insignificant you were against his magnificence. Most people would have underestimated him for that, would have dismissed him as a flighty nobleman with an over-inflated ego. The Captain Lowe didn't make that kind of mistakes. He recognized all the melodrama for what it was: the settings of an elaborate deception. Yes, Kushrenada _was_ refined, some would say excessively so but most of his mannerisms were for show. Many unfortunate men had missed the sharp glint lurking in the blue eyes while snickering at the haughty sneer ever adorning the chiseled features. Numerous times it had been their downfall.

The soldiers had relaxed in front of such pomp, Heero didn't know if that should have worried him but as there was little he could do, he let it slide. "Alea jacta est" and all that. When Kushrenada made his grand entrance at the top of the stairs, he marked a carefully studied pause, maybe to let everyone wallow in his splendor. He was garbed superbly as expected, in a blue dress coat that matched his eyes. There was an over-abundance of embroidery at the neckline and on the cuffs and the minuscule buttons glinting under the sun were no doubt made of real gold. Heero was a third generation colonist and had never set foot in the Courts of Europe, yet he could guess there was a kingdom somewhere where Kushrenada's garb had great significance. It might have been some dress uniform courtiers wore at royal audience and the Captain wondered if the privateer had earned the right to wear it or if he was merely mocking his background. There was a red rose at his boutonniere; from that far away, it was tough to decide if it was a real one or one made of cloth. Heero was going for real just on the principle that the challenge of caring for rosebushes on a ship surrounded by salt-water would have appealed to Kushrenada. The man was a piece of art that way.

The Captain Lowe moved to the main deck, a few feet or so from the ascending stairs. Noin and Trowa came to flank him as if it had been rehearsed. Maybe they thought he needed the support. The presence of his First Lieutenant was a given, it was all part of this hush-hush diplomacy crap Heero disliked so. He wasn't sure in what legal capacity Barton claimed the right to stand at his side however, seeing he wasn't even really Military, but there was strength in number and the Captain kept quiet. Anyway, that was Noin's job to keep things legit and she had frowned more at his lack of proper attire than at Trowa's presence, so who was he to interfere? They all assumed a stern soldier's stance and waited for Kushrenada to come down. He was taking his sweet time and that was explained when he extended his right hand toward an invisible figure. Soon, there was a blonde at his side and they both descended the steps with the encompassed grace of royalty. You could almost hear the orchestra, could we say overkill?

The Lady was a sight by herself. The skirt was ample and ornate enough to be mistaken for a cathedral. You didn't undress such a woman, you besieged her. In contrast, her neckline was so low you could have gotten lost in that much cleavage. She wore her very long hair free of restraints; in Europe that would have been a sign of depravation, in the Caribbean that was still pretty risqué. And such musings were the sad result of too much time spent in Relena's vicinity. Heero wasn't even aware he'd learned so much useful information regarding fashion. At least now it was confirmed that his fiancée had the power to melt his brain. Stupidity by association anyone?

When the couple landed on the deck at last, they gave Kushrenada a respectful salute. The man didn't have rank over them but that was the courteous thing to do. Trowa still didn't have rank at all for that matter but nobody needed to know that little detail. Sure, technically, a civilian shouldn't impersonate a soldier in anyway, but as a civilian shouldn't be on a military ship without express authorization to begin with, Heero pretty much guessed that was a moot point. And Trowa wasn't exactly a civilian either. His name was on Sank's payroll somewhere, just a little more buried than usual, what with him being a spy and all.

"Captain Lowe. Pleasure to meet you again. I hope I'm not inconveniencing you in any way."

Happy as a clam and smooth as if they were meeting at the opera. You had to give the man some points for confidence. Heero was more worried by the fact he hadn't pretended to not remember his name. It was usually how the man played it, that gave him an edge over you as he knew there was no way in hell _you _could have possibly forgotten him. The Captain wondered what that meant. That could have been everything from a ploy to dull Heero's vigilance by making him feel important or on the contrary a gentleman's warning to a worthy opponent he'd like to see struggle but planned to screw over anyway. That gave the tone for the upcoming discussion. Heero would have to analyse every words for hidden meanings. Joy! Just what he needed. Did he mention already how much he loathed Politics?

"Sir. You're welcome in Sank's territory as always. I understand you wish to parley."

There wasn't quite a question mark. There rarely was with Heero who always made it a point to speak without inflexion; that was his own way to destabilize his enemies. No one liked to be confronted with indifference, it was too much like being dismissed.

"Of course, of course, though I'd like to introduce my companion first. Captain Lowe, Dorothy Catalonia, my cousin. I hope her presence isn't a problem. The child has a knack for all things military and was eager to come aboard the Wing."

If there was a thing the woman was not, it was a child; the cold cold blue eyes said as much. Heero could believe she liked Military though and if the sharp-toothed grin was any indication she also liked blood. Fascinating girl that one. Trowa seemed to think so too. Not surprising. They were like two peas in a pod. Given half a chance they could have taken over the world or killed each other... messily. That was all a matter of opportunities. Dorothy appeared to find his friend equally interesting but she watched him only for a moment and was looking Heero's way again when her cousin introduced him. Kushrenada put a special emphasis on Heero's middle name which most people simply didn't mention. That could have been a coincidence or even mere curiosity but Heero was under no such illusion. Kushrenada obviously knew Yuy was his real last name and also that he was half-Japanese. In some circles, being half-blood, half-anything which wasn't European really, placed you barely above an animal. The man wanted him to know he was aware of that little secret but for what purpose? Anyone's guess was as good as his.

"I hear you're marrying into Sank's Governor's family. That's bold for someone of your... background."

Ah! So that was why. Blunt much? The Lady didn't mince her words. He would have pegged her for someone more subtle. Though, seeing that cousin Treize looked more amused than put off, Heero couldn't help but think there was subtlety in her rudeness itself. He couldn't help either to like her way better than Kushrenada's. He could relate with directness, that was the soldier's way and he knew no other. However if she had been going for the throat, her aim was far off. He couldn't have cared less what anyone thought about his engagement and if they were onto something that could prevent the wedding, he was even willing to give them a hand. But he wouldn't be so lucky; she was probably just fishing. That kind of girl strove on conflict. That's why he answered her in the blandest tone he could muster, not cold, not angry, not anything really, just painfully neutral. It was sure to annoy her without giving her any indication her taunts were working.

"I'm surprised someone like you is even aware of the social life of a lowly officer as myself. I'm flattered."

He was obviously not but Dorothy conceded him the point with a knowing smile. Treize shook his head with fond amusement. He then studied Heero's companions and threw him a questioning glance, waiting for him to reciprocate the introductions. Game, the Captain made a slight gesture in Noin's and Trowa's directions and indulged the privateer.

"First Lieutenant Noin, my second and Trowa Barton."

Both his visitors raised matching forked eyebrows and when no more explanations were forthcoming as of the identity of his green-eyed friend, they threw him twin curious stares. Noin and Trowa gave slight nods of acknowledgment. Neither offered a hand to shake nor further salute. Kushrenada's face took on a faraway expression as if he was contemplating the possible ways to solve a cryptic puzzle then addressed Trowa in an inspired tone.

"Barton? Are you by chance related to Dekim Barton of Lagrange?"

"Not that I know of, sir."

Treize nodded, seeming nonplussed that his bluff had been called on without revealing any more information. Meanwhile, Dorothy and Noin were trying to stare each other down in a contest of wills. After a while, the blonde's smirk turned gleeful and she appeared to give up when she lowered her eyes down to Noin's chest. Her icy blue gaze went back to its counterpart's darker one and her smile widened. The Lieutenant didn't seem to react but her lips thinned in a barely perceptible frown. Heero watched it all from the corner of his eye and reasserted his first impression of Dorothy. She was interesting alright and even shrewder than he had feared at first. He'd better be wary of her even if she didn't look like she would embarrass Noin by revealing her deception. It might have been more reassuring if she had, rather than filing the information for later perusal. Who knew what she intended to do with it?

"Perhaps we could move to somewhere more private? The information I wish to discuss is rather delicate and could do without an audience."

Kushrenada encompassed the soldiers bustling around with a pointed look and Heero gestured mutely toward his cabin before opening the march. The four others followed on his heels. Once in the Captain's spacious room, they huddled around the table. Heero, Treize and Dorothy sat without further debate. Noin tidied the few maps and documents which had been lying around before secreting them in a cabinet. Trowa busied himself over a tea tray which had been brought in from the galley while they were on the deck and served the three seated ones. Once the tea was seasoned at anyone's liking and the space had been cleared of all mess, Noin and Trowa went to stand beside the Captain as matching bookends. Treize watched the proceedings with undisguised amusement. Dorothy on the contrary was looking around the premises in obvious curiosity. Maybe she was trying to get the feel of an officer's cabin or more likely to get some clue as of Heero's personality. He savored the fact she would be disappointed as there was few personal belongings in the remarkably regulation quarters. Little did he know that that in itself told something about him.

"Captain Lowe, I'm usually all for the niceties but I believe the matter is too serious to delay further."

Heero raised an eyebrow. It was a rather bold statement coming from Kushrenada. Heero himself not being big on niceties at any time gestured him to go on.

"I was attacked two days ago by a Romfeller fluyte and a Lagrange frigate. I sank them both but the battle was fierce."

"Bad week, but I understand you have your share of enemies so what's so unusual that you thought Sank's Navy should be informed?" Heero's eyes widened all of a sudden as he replayed the statement in his head. "Wait a minute. You said "battle", as in only one? Against the two ship?"

"My point exactly. They worked together and were no privateers but regular Military fleet. I thought Sank would be interested in knowing Lagrange and Romfeller have made an alliance. Because if they decide to war against an Oz's vessel, what's there to say Sank isn't next on the list?"

"Let's not be hasty please! It might have been a simple grudge that both had against yourself, not your country."

"I know you're a clever man Captain and you don't take me for an idiot nor a coward. Would I be that alarmed if I thought they were just taking revenge for whatever deed on my person? As you said, I have a lot of enemies and learned to deal with them by myself."

"So, I gather you have proof of this supposed alliance. Did you take prisoners?"

"They were no survivors. I found..."

"No survivors? None at all out of two full crews?"

That last exclamation came from Noin and as each time she was bothered, she forgot to disguise her voice. Treize threw her a curious glance and seemed to try and guess what wasn't quite right with her. Dorothy smirked but didn't share her own observations with her cousin. She, however, concluded from Noin's intervention that she was now allowed to speak herself.

"Men die in battle my dear Lieutenant. That is the sad reality of war. I thought such a fine officer as yourself would have come to accept such basic facts. It was really an amazing struggle between those two vessels and Cousin Treize's own. There is nothing quite like the intensity of one fighting for his life or his beliefs. It is awe-inspiring. The real nature of men is revealed in battle. Those soldiers were found wanting and in the end Treize's was victorious. You should know that the victor is always right and that there's no honor in being vanquished. The most merciful thing to do was to finish off the survivors. Treize is a very merciful man."

She gave a creepy smile and her icy eyes dared the shocked Noin to argue. The latter gritted her teeth but refrained to comment obeying in that to her Captain's slight head-shake. Heero was beginning to form a picture of the events in his mind's eye and it was a gruesome one. He wasn't like Noin who believed in doing the impossible to keep her men alive, he wasn't that much of an idealist. He was neither the sort to condone unnecessary killings and just now didn't like much Treize nor Dorothy. He hid his sudden dislike however because he suspected there had been a reason behind Kushrenada's action. It was awfully convenient that there weren't any witnesses able to infirm whatever tale the man would want him to believe.

The privateer hadn't strayed from his cool demeanor, not even during Dorothy's tirade. The man was good at keeping his thoughts private and there was no way of knowing if he disapproved her cavalier attitude or on the contrary agreed with her.

"You'll have to forgive my cousin for her harsh words. She's young still and she just had a very traumatic experience. We both could have been killed in this skirmish."

Heero wouldn't have called that kind of battle a mere skirmish but again that was just semantics. He didn't believe either Dorothy had suffered trauma in any way. Disturbingly, she looked like she had fun. Fascinating girl really. Scary, but fascinating.

"I see. So, if they were no survivor, what proof do you have of this alliance?"

"We found documents on the fluyte. I have them here and wanted to ask you to deliver them to Sank's Governor. I'll informed Oz's officials myself but I thought that information would be better served if it was given to Sank by one of its officers and with solid evidence. I'm aware that my word might not be enough."

"I thought you sank both ships?"

"We had the time to go through one of them before it sank."

Heero could guess how that had gone. Kushrenada most likely accepted the fluyte's surrender, searched it then sank it with the survivors still aboard. Ruthless but effective. He glanced at the document and read what he had expected. It was orders of sort addressed to a Captain Aaron Gunther, presumably the captain of the fluyte, to attack on sight every Oz's ship and to collaborate with Lagrange's Military. Most distressing were the twin stamps at the bottom. It was just wrong to see Lagrange's emblem so close to Romfeller's. The two countries had a long History of conflicts and never seemed to see eye to eye, merely managing to tolerate each other in recent years in order to avoid another pointless war which would only success in weakening their already frail Politics and Economy.

"Very well. I'll make sure this document go to the Governor. Was there anything else?"

Kushrenada was unbalanced by Heero's easy acceptance and more worrying, failed at concealing it. He couldn't push without looking too eager and eagerness in this case would have been suspicious. The man must have expected reluctance and planned the lengthy argument to get around it. Things hadn't gone his way and he didn't know how to deal with it. At long last, his good sense won. When Heero lead him back to the gangway, his assurance had returned with a vengeance and he was making small talk. They were arrested once more on the way when the Captain Lowe inquired about a certain brigantine they were looking for. Surprisingly enough, Dorothy was the one who answered.

"The Sandrock? Do you mean Quatre Raberba Winner's ship? What did the boy-wonder do this time?"

"You know Quatre Winner?" That was Trowa asking while Heero stood thinking.

"Yes, I knew him when we were kids. At some point, there were even talks between our families about marrying us."

"Didn't pan out in the end?"

Noin's tone was deceptively uninterested. Heero was startled that she forced her way into the conversation. That wasn't Noin's type to bait people and especially not that cavalierly. Dorothy must have rubbed her the wrong way. He wondered if the blonde would take the bait. She did: hook, line and sinker. Weird. Must have hit a sore spot.

"The twit run away before any agreement could be reached. His father sent people after him but couldn't get him back. There are rumors that he's sailing in the Caribbean with an unsavory crowd. How unbecoming of a prince!"

"Wait a minute. You mean to say a young prince renounced his inheritance and life in a Palace to go gallivanting around the world. When he could have married you? Jeez! Wonder why's that."

Even Heero's sharp "Lieutenant!" couldn't completely cover Treize and Trowa's snickers. Dorothy looked murderous for an instant before clamping her mouth shut and blanking her expression. Noin didn't look apologetic but her puzzlement appeared almost genuine. After that, the goodbyes were hasty and in no time both visitors had gone back to their galleon which sailed away as soon as the last rope had been untied.

The Captain Lowe sent his First Lieutenant on her way. He should have reprimanded her for her rudeness which had prevented him from learning more, but even him could appreciate the humor of the situation. It had been fun to see someone take Dorothy's confidence down a notch, that mustn't happen all that often. That also confirmed his belief that women could prove more vicious than any man.

Once Heero and Trowa were back in the privacy of the Captain's cabin, the spy inquired as of their future actions.

"We're going to Port-Royal!"

"Hmm... Okay. How did you come to _that_ conclusion? And shouldn't you be rushing those information to Sank anyway?"

"Well... if I thought they were genuine I might, but at this point I'm not sure of anything. We need more information and Port-Royal is where to get it."

"Of course. And I suppose the fact that the "unsavory crowd" Winner's frequenting is most likely pirates hidden away amongst their kind has nothing to do with our destination?"

Heero looked admirably blank. "Of course not. Now that you mentioned it though, we probably should check that out too."

Trowa snorted. "Okay. Say that I bait. How do you expect us to enter Port-Royal and to investigate there? One you're Military so that means you're _persona non grata_ and second, even if we managed to get in, there's no way anybody will trust us."

"Guess I'm lucky my best friend's a spy then. He should be able to find a solution..."

Heero's expression was guileless and Trowa couldn't smother his amused chuckle. For such a conventional man, the Captain Lowe sure had a way to drag him into the most improbable situations.

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Amara**: What can I say? Those pirates are awfully clever. More seriously I mentioned there's still plenty of fighting, the occasional thievery and retribution as soon as they leave their haven so I guess things works on the surface but nothing's perfect. Noin and Meiran might cross paths. It's not sure yet as Idon't know exactly how all the events I planned will succeed each other._

_To **Hikaru**: I like Treize myself but I think he makes a better bad guy then a good one. That's Heero's turn and as you know no curse yet on this side of the fence. You should learn more shortly though._

_To **NekoA**: I'm glad you liked this story and hope you'll continue following it with the same enthusiasm. I'm sorry though to disappoint regarding 3x4. I have nothing against this pairing on principle but it just didn't fit here. As I already said it would be odd for four young men to turn homosexual overnight in the 17th century. I know we yaoi-lovers are used to suspend our disbelief but I wanted to keep things realistic for once. Other pairings than 1x2 will all be het even if hints otherwise are likely, I like to tease. _


	13. The Gossiping Pirates

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R (will eventually be NC-17)

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: My hubby doesn't read my fics anymore (too much boys-on-boys action yuk!) but always knows what I'm writing anyway. He thought it was funny to take me to the baseball game on Friday because SD's Padres were playing against the Pittsburgh' Pirates. I was glad to see our resident team win but I can't help to see it as a bad omen... Hm hope this fic won't have the same fate than those poor Pirates. Did I fail to mention that I'm superstitious?

Chapter 13 : The Gossiping Pirates

Three days into their ailment, all four sick members of Shinigami's crew were dimmed fit to survive. It was pure relief for everyone concerned even if they weren't out of the woods yet. The Lady Doctor looked harassed as she should be with all the crap she had to put up with from both Wufei and O once the latter had regained consciousness. The endless care of four critical patients didn't allow for much sleep but more than that the constant watching and jibe at her competence had taken their toll. She looked almost as bad as her patients. She had been hindered in her care every step of the way by Wufei's deprecating comments and later forced to give way for the particularities of the Oriental medicine her colleague forced upon her. Apart she could be heard calling the full-smelling incense sticks, the colored candles, the various herbal teas and the cleansing-aura stones disseminated around the beds "ritualistic crap" which surprised a snort out of Duo who refused to explain when pressed by Quatre. He and Sally had just exchanged a knowing smile and she had won his unending respect when she managed to diagnose and heal her patients in spite of all the interference. The woman should have been canonised for patience alone.

When she had learned that all her patients had been recently ill and just recovered when they were attacked by the seagulls, she'd come up to the conclusion they'd been infected by a benign disease birds sometimes transmitted to humans and which had been dangerous only to those who already had a weakened system. That had been worsened by their festering wounds and they had developed a nasty fever. Once the problem had been identified, it had been a simple matter. Everyone had been cooled off to lower the fever. She had cleaned and redressed the scraps while thanking God most had been far from the patient's heads, thus diminishing the risk of brain's infection, gave everyone Jesuit's Bark among other medicines and had them drink plenty of fluids. Not to mean the sick crewmembers weren't the worse for wear even after those first frantic days, but at least they were still breathing and should continue to do so, bar new unexpected complications. They were still weak, a little feverish and would need weeks of bed rest but they were on the way to recovery.

In the end Doc O had grudgingly admitted the woman knew what she was doing and they were now chummy enough to exchange tips about their respective fields of expertise. Her quiet acceptance of his belief in healing the spirit along with the body despite her earlier reservations had gone a way in granting her this truce. Even Wufei had slowed down on the barbs against her sex. That could have been because she gave as good as she got or maybe simply because excess worrying and his constant watching over Meiran had exhausted him enough that he didn't care anymore to taunt her. Or it might have something to do with the little admiring spark lighting in his black eyes each time he glanced Sally's way now that he was too tired to keep all his feelings behind the stern walls of his cumbersome dignity.

It was also intriguing to know that one of the first thing he did, once Meiran had woken up, was to ask her to confirm to Sally that they were just childhood friends and not the lovers the Lady Doctor was convinced they were thanks to the Wufei's devotion she kept teasing him about. Pity he didn't see the spike of hurt in Meiran's eyes after his untimely demand, busy how he was fending Sally's mock-flirting after the "soul-healing" news that "such a fine specimen of insane male arrogance" was free of attachments, as exclaimed in her own dramatic words. The wary witnesses of this impromptu drama didn't know what to do with it, thus they were grateful when the Lady Doctor shooed them away insisting that she couldn't deal with more patients right now and didn't want to see any of them collapse at her feet.

They were honest enough not to protest... much as she obviously had a point. They were all worn-off, running mostly on will and tension. Rashid had been the only one farsighted enough to go back to the Sandrock and take a preemptive rest earlier in the afternoon. He offered thus to stay at the clinic, reluctant to leave part of the crew unprotected. He also had to keep an eye on Wufei who wouldn't budge either but made for a poor protector in his own exhaustion. In the end, Hernan went back to the ship alone with the implied mission to inform Gene of the crew's whereabouts. Duo, Quatre, Auda and Abdul were paradoxically too tired to sleep. Still tense in spite of the recent good news, they went to a nearby tavern to relax. The former bodyguards abandoned their charge once reassured he was relatively safe with their Captain and went in search of a warm body in which to bury their worries. Meanwhile, Quatre and Duo set about to get drunk... Well Duo set about to get drunk and Quatre soaked the joyous atmosphere of the tavern while sipping his tea.

Given the late hour, The Barking Parrot was packed as were most places serving rum. The two friends didn't garner any special attention. Some people knew them, others didn't but regardless everyone stayed clear of their table without more than vague nods of acknowledgment. It was easy to make friends in Port-Royal and even easier to have privacy if that's what you wanted. Nobody cared who you were nor what you did and if you wanted to be left alone, it was generally understood that you should be. Those who recognized Shinigami didn't gossip and those who wondered didn't ask. Celebrities were often encountered there. Formidable buccaneers such as John Davis or Roche Brasilliano had been known to roam the town, even the privateer Henry Morgan in more recent times. It was no novelty and pirates were no squealers. The unsaid rule was not to nose about someone else's business at the risk of having it bashed in or cut off.

Quatre was the first to break their weary silence. "I'm relieved they're going to be fine, I was afraid."

"Know what you mean. I wasn't thrilled either. To be honest I even feared Wufei was going to take it out on me..."

"Put yourself in his place. He feels responsible of Meiran. I don't know how he would deal if something happened to her."

"Yeah, because you're any better?"

Duo snorted and Quatre stared at him uncomprehending. "I don't know what you're driving at Duo. Sure Meiran's my friend but that's not the same."

"Huh? That's weird. I had gotten the impression that you were a lot more than just friends..."

The Prince startled and almost toppled his chair in his surprise. "What? Me and Meiran? Where did you get such a stupid idea?"

"Dunno... You're always together, laughing, plotting, making 'Fei miserable. What else could I think? You're saying you don't have the hots for our little China doll?"

"Yes Duo, that's exactly what I'm saying... without the colorful language of course." Duo snorted but Quatre carried on before he could say more. "Seriously though, you're the only person silly enough to think I was after Meiran."

"Wufei thinks so too. He even told me he was okay with it, that you were a good man and worthy of her."

"You're kidding?" Duo's shrug was answer enough. "Darn! What will I do now?"

"I don't see what the problem is. If you like Meiran, you already have Big Bro's benediction and if you don't he shouldn't hurt you unless you made her promises you didn't intend to keep."

"You don't understand Duo. Meiran's in love with Wufei. I was helping her get his attention."

The Captain looked stunned for all of ten seconds then began ranting as he was prone to when confronted with idiots.

"Fuck! What were the two of you thinking? Getting his attention by making fun of him! How is that supposed to work? You're not twelve anymore. For that matter what was Meiran doing asking _you_ for advice? For all you know about relationships, you could as well be a monk."

"Well sorry if I don't have your expertise, but somehow I doubt you know more than me about romance. When she needs to learn how to sleep her way through the Caribbean in under a year, rest assured I'll know in whose direction to point her."

"Are we at the name-calling point already? Real mature that."

"You're the one who started."

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

Duo stuck out his tongue in a childish move and Quatre was about to retaliate when he realized what he was doing. He grimaced at his friend and they both burst out of laughing. They laughed for a while and when they finally stopped, gulping in huge breaths, they exchanged a conspiratorial smile. They needed that.

Once they had regained their respiratory functions, they got back to the matter at hand, trying this time to deal with it in an adult way. It was harder than one would think when they couldn't help but picture a piggy-tailed Meiran pulling on a pouting Wufei's ever tight ponytail. Suffice to say there were giggles involved and valiant but unsuccessful severe looks in-between.

"What I don't understand is why Meiran rejected Wufei if she was in love with him. She's the one who didn't want the wedding if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah sure, but it was a while ago. People change Duo."

A painful expression crossed Shinigami's features but it disappeared so fast that Quatre wondered if he had imagined it. The mumbled "some people don't," seemed to testify of its reality and left the Prince pondering what it could all mean. Alas, as with everything personal, Duo wasn't exactly forthcoming with explanation and Quatre had no choice but to let it slide.

"I don't know where you grew up Duo..." he knew the earnest pause was useless because they had played this game a thousand times before and as every other one of them his Captain would ignore it and fail to answer. Disappointed still, he followed on his thoughts: "It's probably very different from what you know in China. Meiran described to me what it meant to be a woman there and I can relate somehow because it wasn't that different in Sandrock for all that my father pretended we lived as Europeans."

Quatre had a faraway look, remembering living in a Palace in the desert, remembering belonging to the only family of blonds among people with dark skin and darker hair, remembering being the only boy amidst a swarm of sisters, every one of them bitter that he would inherit all their father's wealth just because he was male. He had been nurtured, spoiled even, treated as something precious and all the while he could witness how everyone else suffered unjustly for things as stupid as not being white enough or just the wrong sex. He could have lived all his life abusing everyone but he had the misfortune to be cursed with the ability to care and couldn't accept a life of that. He had tried to change things and ran away when he saw he was centuries too early for such a colossal task. It was ironic in a way that he had had everything but the very thing he had wanted. Quatre shook himself, dispelling the sad remembrance and used the resulting stirrings of his tired soul to argue Meiran's case. Perhaps he could help her where he had failed his sisters and the women of his country.

"Imagine growing up in a wealthy family where the only other child your age is a little boy from another clan. For years you're kept together with the same caretakers and later the same teachers. You learn exactly the same things: to read, to fight, to think by yourself, to be that child's equal. Then suddenly, one day you wake up and someone tells you that because you're a girl that can't continue like that. That you're going to become his wife, obey him in everything and not worry your pretty head –understand empty- with anything more important than mending his clothes, tidying his house and if you're good watching over his babies. That's not so much Wufei she rejected but the life their clans wanted to impose on her. I don't blame her for running away."

Duo had a contemplative look on his face. It was unusual to see him weigh all options with that level of seriousness before making a decision. He was more the sort to act first and think later, if any thinking was involved. That might mean he empathized with Meiran. That's what Quatre chose to believe because for all Duo wasn't a compassionate being by nature, no one could accuse him of being a bad captain and he was fiercely protective of his crew, especially of Meiran, Wufei and Quatre as they were the youngest, all barely above twenty, thus mere children in his eyes.

"I guess I can see where she's coming from and yeah, I probably would have done the same. Still, Wufei won't see it that way."

"What do you mean? He can't begrudge her for a decision she made when she was fifteen. He has to like her anyway or he wouldn't have followed her when she left China."

"Come on Quatre! That's Wufei we're talking about. Of course he can begrudge her. That man could fault the ocean for being wet, that's just how he is. As for liking Meiran, I'm sure he does, but I think it's more in a big brother sort of way than as a lover would."

"He must have liked her enough for he was okay with the wedding..."

"My point exactly. What does Wufei value above all?" As Quatre stayed mute, Duo arched an eyebrow. "It's not a trick question. What comes to mind first? Don't think just say it!"

"His honour I guess."

"Precisely, whether he wanted to marry Meiran or not he would have done it because that's what his clan ordered. Then, from the very moment he said yes, he would have considered Meiran his responsibility even before their vows were exchanged. I'm pretty sure that's why he followed her when she ran away; she was his to protect. That he loves her though, I don't think so. He might have at some point but when she refused him the first time, she offended his sense of honour and he won't give her another chance. That's sad, stupid but it's how Wufei is. End of story."

"We have to do something! They could be happy together..."

"Yeah, they could... and you'd be surprised to know how many people aren't ready to take that kind of risk." It was said in just that mix of wistful and indulgent Quatre hated. That always made him feel like a little kid who didn't know any better. It wasn't like Duo was all that older than him after all, but he sometimes acted like an old man, it was annoying.

"No need to be condescending, I'm not that young!"

The strange violet eyes homed in on him and the prince noticed once again how ancient they seemed at times. He felt uneasy and was the first to break eye-contact, he heard Duo sigh quietly.

"Some things are relative Quatre. Anyway, be it we're too young or too old, I think we should both be in bed. Let's get back to 'Scythe."

Shinigami rose without waiting for an answer. He threw a handful of gold coins on the table to pay princely for their tab, largely for Abdul and Auda's girlfriends and possibly enough for a substantial raise for everyone working at the Barking Parrot. Quatre glossed over the proceedings with a tired snort and a slight shake of his blond head. He might have been the Prince but it was Duo who threw his money away on a regular basis. It was like his Captain had no understanding of how much things cost, he didn't seem to care either. Sometimes he wondered if maybe Shinigami hadn't discovered the secret of Alchemy. He was already rumored to have found the Holy Grail, the Fountain of Youth and Excalibur, so why not the mean to turn straw into gold. At least there were some circumstantial evidence that could account for that last one and not only wild conjectures as for all that other rubbish.

When they finally exited the tavern, it was long past midnight and the streets were dark. Duo didn't seem impaired by the lack of light and Quatre latched on his arm. Shinigami always found his way to his Deathscythe even in the deadest of nights or the heaviest of fogs; there were yet more fantastic theories as to why it was but as he never answered questions on this matter with anymore than his maddening smirk people could only keep guessing.

While trekking in the seediest part of Port-Royal, Duo halted his course without apparent reason and dragged his friend behind the corner of a house. He made an imperious gesture to shush his stuttering protests. Shinigami was deathly still and watching intently further along the street as if there was something there of the utmost interest. Quatre didn't like to be manhandled and no matter how much he squinted he couldn't see anything. He would have ranted but he didn't believe his Captain was quite _that_ insane. He tried harder, looking over Duo's shoulder to what or whom had captured his attention. Discouraged, he asked in a murmur: "What is it Duo?"

"Do you see that figure at the corner of the goldsmith? I know that blond hair."

Once Duo said it, Quatre had his first look of the person in question and let out a long-suffering sigh. "What? Don't tell me you dragged me here to avoid one of your girlfriends?"

Duo chortled quietly. "Of course not dummy. First of all that's a man and if you looked harder you'd see who I think he is."

Quatre did as told and understood what his Captain was driving at. If it was indeed a man, it was easy to guess who it was. There weren't all that much men running around with blond hair to their waist.

"Are you sure it's him? Because I don't see what the "Gentleman Pirate" would be doing in this neighborhood. He's always whining that Port-Royal isn't refined enough for his tastes."

"Hmm... He's moving. Let's follow him!"

Quatre grabbed his friend's shirt in a desperate move, thankfully missing the braid in the dark. That would have been painful... and not so much for Duo than for himself. "Captain, we're dead-tired, you said yourself it was bed-time."

Shinigami gave him a broad smirk and his eyes twinkled with mischief, all fatigue seemingly forgotten. "Come on Quatre! That is so much more fun than going to bed. Don't be a party-pooper!"

The challenge was plain enough and as the blond couldn't find his way in the dark anyway, he didn't have that much of a choice but to stay at his Captain's heels. Thus began a silent chase amidst the dark town. The vague silhouette ahead seemed to take turns at random and retraced his steps so many times that even in the day, Quatre would have been helplessly lost. Duo didn't look worried however and Quatre let it reassured him. The sure thing was that the man was definitely up to something.

They were following at a distance and after what appeared like hours of aimless wandering, ducked behind an alcove when their prey stopped to speak with someone. They were a little closer than before and Quatre whispered a confirmation to his Captain.

"That is Merquise alright but I wonder what is he doing here."

"Well... meeting with someone obviously."

When the second silhouette moved away from the wall they could distinguished a few of its features. It was a tall man dressed with elegance. A mischievous ray of light came to play in luscious red hair and Quatre breathed sharply.

"Isn't that Kushrenada?"

"It is."

"But... he's a privateer. What business could Merquise have with his kind?"

Duo grimaced with disgust. As most pirates, he had no love lost for privateers.

"Huh huh. There are no honest pirates anymore."

Quatre gave him a disbelieving glance. He might have disliked privateers too but he was under no illusion that pirate was any more honorable a profession as Duo seemed to think. He weighed the value of commenting than gave up. Like in most matters it was pointless to argue with Shinigami. The pirate had his own interpretation of right and wrong and nobody could make him change his mind.

Duo was apparently contemplating getting closer to hear the conversation when there was an unidentifiable ruckus behind them. Merquise and Kushrenada looked in their direction and only Shinigami's quick reflexes saved them from discovery. Soon, they were running in another direction and Quatre soon began to recognize the neighborhood nearest the docks. When they arrived at the Sandrock, both were breathless and with their minds working on overdrive.

"What was that all about?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't like it. We can't do much more tonight anyway so bed for now. Tomorrow we'll search information on Merquise and Kushrenada at the same time than on the cross."

"Do you think they have something to do with the curse?"

"I don't know but the Epyon was one of the ships conveniently placed to attack us when we found the blasted thing and you know what they say: _if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck..._"

"_...it's probably a duck! _Okay, let's..."

"I said "bed" and I meant it. You're barely able to stand. Go to bed, now! That's an order."

Quatre went to his cabin dragging his feet all the way, sulking like a child and Duo snorted. The Prince could sulk all he wanted, he knew very well that once in his bed he would fall asleep as soon as his blond head hit the pillow. He'd like for it to be as easy for himself, but past experiences had taught him that insomnia was far more likely in his state of nerves. Especially when he hadn't yet managed to shake this feeling of being watched that plagued him since Sank.

Bone-tired and edgy, he went to his own cabin relieved to be alone at last. He liked Quatre but many things had happened lately and he needed to be on his own. Keeping the cheerful mask in place could grow tiring after a while, especially when there wasn't much to rejoice about. He undressed, then put on an old shirt. He was brushing his hair just before bed when he realized his unease had worsened during his mindless nightly rituals. He grew very still, the brush arrested in mid air. There was someone in his room...

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_Reply to Reviewers: _

_To **Camillian**: It was actually fun to write women for a change. As I always write yaoi, I don't have that much occasion to stage a catfight. That's a shame. I'm keeping the updates coming, but just a little slower because chapter are getting longer._

_To **Hikaru**: I was mean to Dorothy, I'm sure Quatre had plenty of other reason to run away... actually I just wrote those didn't I:p Still Noin's explanation was much more entertaining. _

_To **Amalia**: I think the sane thing to do would be to choose "your own country" but again it was already established the whole crew wasn't all that sane. On another matter altogether, there's a little bird I'll have to smack because he must be whispering the further developments in your ear. You're far too perceptive my liking._


	14. The Stalker's Guidelines

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R (will eventually be NC-17)

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: There was a big outcry about last chapter's cliffie. It wasn't even a really mean one in my opinion but anyway, as I felt harassed I took my sweet time to update. Oh yeah I also cliff hung the new chapter as well. No... no reason, just because I could and because you should know I'm nasty. No hard feelings. smirk

Chapter 14 : The Stalker's Guidelines

The aimless wandering they had done while looking for the Sandrock hadn't been for naught as it had brought them at only a two days sail from Jamaica. There was still that petty problem of how to infiltrate a Military man into a pirates' safe haven. The Captain Lowe wasn't worried about that though. He had been serious when saying he was counting on Trowa to find a way. After some consideration on his part, the wonder-spy had announced he indeed had a plan. What Heero hadn't foreseen was that that master plan would entail hiking close to thirty miles on rough ground. That's obvious he should have because it did.

Heero was annoyed. Of course he was as fit as any self-respecting officer and perfectly able to hike the assigned distance, but that wasn't the point. It's not because you _could_ do something that you necessarily _wanted_ to. Lucky the Captain wasn't the sort to bitch; that saved him some embarrassment when he realized that no matter how much he didn't want to follow through with the plan, he had to because it was a sound one.

The Wing was anchored a stone's throw from Villa de la Vega, a port located South-west from Port Royal. That town wasn't so much populated with less pirates than with less paranoid ones. The bay in which it sat wasn't as defensible nor as heavily watched and the military frigate could stay unseen provided it went away as soon as the rowboat with Heero and Trowa on board was cut loose.

The two friends berthed on a little beach out of sight of Villa de la Vega's lookouts and walked to the town with as much casualness as they could muster. That was very little in Heero's case, moreover when he had to wear non-military clothes for the first time in what felt like forever. The civilian ensemble his crew had managed to put together was too tight in all the wrong places and annoyingly loose in the others. It was sad to think that he was now tripping on Trowa's too long pant legs for the very roundabout reason that his subordinates were too terrified of him to have any other pants on board than the very distinctive pale grey ones all Sank's Navy soldiers had to wear according to regulation.

In Villa de la Vega, they found a guide to lead them to Port Royal by land. The man had boggled at the absurdity of it when going by boat was so much simpler but a more than decent fee for his task had silenced him pretty fast. They probably could have foregone the guide seeing that the journey shouldn't be that difficult. Heero was however of the opinion it would be safest to cover all their basis; he had had enough surprises these past days to last him a lifetime. If the man only aided in leading them away from the areas crocodiles loved to dwell in, when they'd cross the Rio Cobre, that would still be one thing less to worry about.

That was how the three men found themselves hiking in the middle of nowhere under the combine assaults of the tropical sun and the resident bugs. It was a tie to decide which of those two annoyances was the worse. Heero would have said the heat but it would have been a cheap shot against the low quality fabric his borrowed shirt was made off; the damn thing itched when one sweated. That's why he was only mildly comforted when their Arawak guide reassured them they would be in Port Royal before the night and thus would avoid the worst crowd of mosquitoes.

They were going at a brisk pace, carried minimal gear and didn't plan to stop for longer than the time to consume a hurried lunch. The guide had concluded that they would cross the distance in under ten hours which seemed to amaze him; he obviously didn't think much of white men. Those too had won his grudging respect with their endurance and absence of complaints and when they went their separate ways once in Port Royal, he even recommended them a decent place in which to spend the night.

The sun would go down in another hour and Trowa was pretty tired but when he suggested they'd get settled and began their investigation in the morning, he was shot down by Heero's obstinacy. His friend wanted to go to the docks at once and his own fatigue showed only in the way he didn't even pretend anymore to be looking for the signs of a political plot. Trowa followed him to the Port without trying to disguise his reluctance. He loved Heero like a brother, quirks and all, but sometimes his single-mindedness seriously got on his nerves, especially when he was dead on his feet and there was a clean, unmoving bed with his name on it, only a few blocks away.

Port royal wasn't that big a town and they were on the docks in no time. It was even faster to locate the Sandrock. It appeared that as long as you were inside the walls, so to speak, everyone just assumed you were one of them. It was a wonder that such trusting people hadn't been infiltrated ages ago and yet even more strange that people whom the rest of the world feared, often with reasons, were so welcoming and trusting once in their Haven.

Heero didn't waste time in finding a good spot to watch the brigantine and then couldn't be moved no matter how much Trowa begged and pleaded. The Captain Lowe was on a mission and he was simply unshakeable when in one of those moods. The spy kept him company the first few hours, but when there still hadn't been any movement coming from the ship around dinner time, he grew bored and frustrated. In the end, he announced he'd go find something to eat for the both of them and book rooms in the place their guide had suggested on his way. Heero let him go with no reaction whatsoever, his gaze still unwavering from the damn ship.

Trowa found a nice little tavern which served an even nicer stir-fry with a syrupy rum. He had been surprised at the neatness of the establishment and at the joyful atmosphere all around, pleasantly so. For such an infamous den of iniquity, Port Royal didn't live up to its seedy reputation. He took his sweet time dining, all the while relishing the thought that Heero would go hungry. If his friend had nothing better to do than to play hide and seek with a prankster pirate instead of spending time with his only friend, he could very well do it alone and if that made him petty... than so be it!

It was a complete coincidence that he caught sight of Kushrenada while exiting the tavern, but it was of his own free will that he chose to follow him. On their last encounter, the man had more or less implied that he was on his way to report to Oz's Governor and unless Jamaica had suddenly changed ownership and said Governor was lurking around, it had been a blatant lie. Trowa wasn't really surprised; in his experience everybody lied, that was one of those facts of life one had just to accept in order to grow up. However, where it was getting interesting was that in his line of business, Trowa had also learned to gauge people by what they were willing to lie about.

The spy was on a mission too and he wasn't about to forget it no matter how distracting and entertaining Heero's misadventures had proven to be. He had the feeling that if he wanted to know what was brewing in Caribbean's politics these days, Kushrenada was the man to look out for. He was in the mood for a good filature, even more so when the alternative was to go back to the docks and hold his smitten friend's hand while he waited for his _Holy Maiden's_ apparition. Because for whatever supposedly noble reason Heero was pretending to be pursuing Shinigami, Trowa himself knew better.

He followed Kushrenada most of the evening and long into the night. The privateer had shed the overbearing arrogance that had so annoyed Trowa on the Wing. He was trying to appear less than he was and to escape notice; he was failing on both accounts. That man was probably born unable to fit in and the bit of commonness he must have had at some point had been bred out of him a long time ago. When Trowa had complained to Heero about the way the man behaved as if he were royalty, his friend had retorted that it might be because he was. It was easy to believe right then. Kushrenada might not have been on any direct line to an impending regal succession but there was little doubt that he was indeed related one way or another to most European royal bloodlines. That was part of why it was such a mystery to find him lurking about in a pirates' harbour. What business such a well-bred nobleman could possibly have in Port Royal? Or being a simple privateer for that matter?

The random stops Kushrenada made on his way didn't appear to follow any pattern the spy was able to identify. They were in succession: a decrepit shop which looked to have been closed for ages, a tavern where he ordered a pantagruelian meal and ate alone, a medical clinic which hosted some sailors he inquired about but declined to visit when the young maid invited him in to see for himself and finally a luxurious brothel where he was greeted like a long-lost brother or more accurately like any stupendously rich customer. The whole evening hadn't revealed anything Trowa didn't already know or suspect. That Treize was a sensualist appreciative of all pleasures of the flesh wasn't really a revelation. Neither was the fact that he was prolix with his money nor that he didn't care enough for his subordinates to hold their hand while they were sick. The spy was beginning to feel stupid staking out the brothel all alone in the dark. Especially when the man he was following was enjoying a very expensive prostitute without a care in the world. He wasn't acting as someone guilty of anything worse than a little overindulgence.

Kushrenada had been in the arms of a voluptuous brunette for nearly two hours when Trowa decided to call it quits. It was likely that the privateer would spend the night and the spy was reluctant to spend his standing in an alley. He could still come back early in the morning to carry on his stalking and see if Treize's diurnal activities were more exciting than the nocturnal ones. With a little luck, he might just be able to drag Heero away from his own stalking and maybe even to grab a few hours worth of sleep somewhere. Any remotely dry flat surface would have done at this point. Just when he was ready to get a move on, he saw Kushrenada exit the brothel looking even more conceited than earlier. Trowa let out a disheartened sigh and followed with resignation.

This time the privateer was really cautious. Would have they come from anyone else, Trowa would have defined the frequent looks he threw behind him as "skittish". It was like he was another man entirely, or the same man but with a very risky purpose. Well... looked like Heero was right in saying that persistence always paid off in the end; things just might get interesting. To avoid detection from the man's careful scrutiny, the spy hauled himself atop one of the house and followed by way of the roofs. Most buildings were wooden and conveniently huddled together, a sure fire disaster waiting to happen but damn useful for the time being. This way wasn't a walk in the park but close enough for a man like Trowa whose gypsy family had taught to walk the tightrope when he was still a kid. Moreover, for all his cautiousness, Kushrenada never thought to survey above him, thus giving the green eyed man an invaluable advantage.

When the privateer stopped at last it was in the middle of a nondescript alley. He leaned on a wall, crossing his arms but failed to exude the nonchalance he was aiming at. He looked damn impatient as a matter of fact, which Trowa took to mean that he was waiting for someone, a late someone maybe. A few minutes later a blond someone stopped at Treize's side. Trowa thought briefly that it was dear cousin Dorothy; the hair was too short though even not accounting for the fact that on closer inspection that someone was indubitably male. The new man seemed even more worried than Kushrenada, at least if his body language was any indication.

The conversation he managed to catch some bits of seemed to confirm it. Something about "feeling like someone was following." He heard a little more:

"...the wop took the bait..."

"...the Lady will be pleased..."

"...sick, no one died yet..."

"...ghost frigate still unaccounted for, but damaged..."

"...you can get the bitch back..."

Some parts were easy to understand and were painting a disturbing picture but too much was missing to really make sense of the conversation and getting closer would be taking the risk of being spotted.

Trowa was beyond frustrated because for all that every words were teasing his spy's senses, there wasn't any real evidence he could work with here. If only he could know who was the blond man at the least. He didn't have a name and not even a face as the man kept his back to him all along. Desperate times called for desperate means and Trowa resolved to a course of action no self-respecting spy would resort to aside from in most dire circumstances. He grabbed a couple of tiles from the roof he was perched upon and threw them further down the street behind him. The human nature was such that the two men would compulsorily turn in the direction of the noise and he would be able to catch a glimpse of the blonde's face. It happened exactly as he had planned save for two things. First, Trowa witnessed two other unrelated figures taking off in the dark at the first sound of shattering tile, one of them had a long braid. Second, the man talking with Kushrenada was wearing an iron mask hiding most of his face. Well... so much for _that_ plan!

Trowa didn't know if Kushrenada or his friend had seen the escaping figures and was pretty sure he was himself still in the clear. Regardless, the unexpected noise had shaken them enough to convince them it was time to go. They exchanged a nervous handshake and went on their separate ways. Now, the spy was confronted with a dilemma; which of them should he follow... if any? The last bit was a meek protestation from his exhausted body; the foolish thing had yet to relinquish the hope of a bed at the end of the journey. His dutiful mind sent an apologetic message to his tired feet and he went in the direction the masked man had gone. He was really curious about that one...

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the Captain Lowe was still watching the Sandrock. It was incredibly boring as there hadn't been any of the comings and goings he thought there would be. At first, he had believed there was no one on board which was puzzling; it was unusual to leave a ship unattended. He had been proven wrong however when a plump Spanish man climbed the gangway around nine and was greeted by an older one who seemed to just materialize on the deck but had probably been secreted away in the innards of the brigantine until then. The new comer gave him hope that he would finally see some action if the crew were coming back to sleep on the ship. He was disappointed once again. He didn't see anyone else for hours.

Even Trowa hadn't come back and he was getting hungry. Less determined men would have given up by this point and done the sensible thing; that is to say following his friend's example and leaving to eat and sleep as the other had done. Heero however was far too obstinate to be put off by mere fatigue nor an empty stomach. The Colonel had been fond of deprivation as a way to teach his grandson to endure; he proclaimed it would toughen him up and had been right in a way. Heero could go days without eating and with little sleep. He still hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Inaction was another matter entirely. He hated doing nothing and had begun to fidget a while ago. It was fortunate there was nobody around because he looked damn suspicious. He reached the limit of his patience around two in the morning and came to the conclusion that the rest of the crew would stay in town for the rest of the night. The two men on board had looked tired and had apparently left the ship unguarded. It was the perfect opportunity to explore Shinigami's lair. He might just learn something useful by investigating his cabin.

In hindsight, he should have guessed how bad an idea it was to go in without back-up. The reasonable thing to do would have been to at least inform Trowa of his plans. Alas, the reasoning part of his brain had shut down under exhaustion and his guts were doing the thinking. Pity he didn't remember the things couldn't be trusted since he had met Miss Winner.

He walked to the gangway and surveyed the premises. Once assured there was not a soul that could stand witness, he didn't waste any time and climbed hurriedly. Coming at the top he looked around, still cautious; there was nothing unusual, that much he could see even in the semi-darkness. He crept silently on the deck, it wouldn't do to be busted for something as silly as making a plank crack or tripping on a rope. The Captain's cabin was usually the one opening on the upper deck. That's where he went. He was pretty sure that whoever's name had been given as owner of the Sandrock, no one other than Shinigami would be allowed to lead a crew he was a part of.

He opened the door while holding his breath and let out a relieved sigh when the hinges didn't creak. He closed the door behind him and had a brief scare when he saw there was a light on inside. A quick survey of the room however confirmed that it was empty. The cabin was spacious and a little messy. It didn't look like it was by lack of care but rather as if someone had left in a hurry, which could account for the chest of clothes left open, the dirty shirt thrown over the back of a chair, the unmade bed and the still burning lamp. That last thing was strange as it gave an eerie blue light. He came closer to it and could smell saltpetre; it was ingenious as it would burn much longer than oil, would go out if disturbed instead of setting the ship on fire and that also explained why he hadn't seen any light from outside. At night, that faint blue glow would be undetectable from afar.

Aside from the bed and the dresser, there was another chest with a heavy lock, two cabinets shut as well, a massive desk on top of which lay a few maps, some ink and feathers and nothing else of interest save for an out of place metallic cylinder that looked imbedded in the wood and could be a lever... for a secret compartment maybe. He was contemplating whether or not he should push it when his attention was caught elsewhere. There was a huge window with little panes in the far end of the room. That wasn't unusual in a Captain's cabin. What was unusual though was that instead of looking out, the window was completely blinded by more planks. He tried to find a catch on the wood, something that would open the window or move what could only be shutters, but didn't find any. What would be the point to have a big source of light if it was to obscure it; that didn't make sense...

He was about to get back to the desk when the door opened all of a sudden. He froze for a moment than turned slowly toward the new-comer. He expected to be confronted for his intrusion and likely attacked. Shinigami however, for it was him, was looking longingly toward his bed and didn't appear to see him. He seemed tired and thus unobservant tonight. He shuffled to the bed and fell more than sat on it. He now had his back to Heero who was trying not to panic. Daring, the intruder retreated behind the heavy burgundy curtains draping the window. If the pirate hadn't seen him from the get go, there was a chance that he wouldn't see him at all.

From the shadows of his hiding place, Heero had the advantage of a nice watching spot. He would be able to observe Shinigami at leisure. He wasn't sure what he would gain from that but felt compelled by the task anyway. On the other side of the room, the man had taken off his boot and thrown them in a corner. He was now undressing and there was much more alabaster skin on display than Heero was comfortable with; he continued to watch all the same...

Duo stood unabashedly naked and stretched as much muscles as he could think of in a clear effort to loosen them. His shoulders drooped with a groan; it looked like it wasn't working. He heaved a tired hand to his neck and began massaging, all the while shuffling toward a cabinet. There, he abandoned the soothing massage to empty a jug of water in a basin and get on to his nightly ablutions. He was using a dampened cloth and a well-worn lump of soap. The Captain Lowe was trying to catch a wisp of that soap's fragrance; he had no luck with that. The pirate, still naked, splashed water on himself to rinse off and shivered at the cold. Heero wondered how anyone could be cold in such a stuffy room. He watched rivulets of clear water glistening along the thin yet fit body and felt perspiration dampening his own skin. The pirate dried himself summarily with a close-by towel and went back to the bed. That was the first full-frontal view Heero had of the naked man and he was hard-pressed to stifle a groan. He also had the utmost difficulty to keep his gaze above the waist and refused to try and explain why that was.

Duo appeared to be searching under his pillows and soon came up with an oversized shirt that he put on immediately. Heero didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved that the gorgeous body was now mostly covered. Mostly being the operative word. The tails of the shirt were batting at Duo's thighs, still leaving a fair expanse of flesh in display... and fair it certainly was. The shirt was also much too big and kept sliding over a rounded shoulder. In a way it was worse than when he had been naked: he was impossibly cute like that and dangerously sensual at the same time. When he untied the trademark braid and the heavy locks came crumbling all over the place, it was the last straw and Heero closed his eyes in a vain effort to reign in on his hormones. Nobody should look that beautiful and especially not when one was male. He had understood being attracted to Helen but couldn't fathom why his attraction, far from cooling off, burned all the hotter now that he new his dream lover was a man. There must be something wrong with him.

While he was lost in his thoughts, something had changed in the room's atmosphere. Worried, he opened his eyes and immediately noticed the tense posture of Shinigami's body. He didn't think and in a moment he was across the room, faster than he knew he could move. He pounced on the pirate, plastering himself against his back, encircling his waist with an arm and putting his other hand on the generous mouth. Hmm... now what?

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Amara**: No stowaway no, as you can see. There still might be some stabbing in the back though, but not the painful sort... _

_To **Hikaru**: Well, I like Wufei so I will make something of him and try to make it interesting, but just like the masses I must confess that Duo and Heero come first._

_To **Guess**: I sincerely hope you did something of your week aside from staring at that pesky cliffie. Thank you for reading and reviewing._

_To **Camillian**: What can I say? I'm all for background info, you must begin to drown into it at this point. We should see more sneaky piratey things from now on. They might even go on a merry adventure. Ah ah! Aren't you intrigued now:p_


	15. The Daring Stowaway

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing, graphic violence, sex

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hi everyone and sorry for taking so long in writing this part. I had trouble in organizing the developments in a way that made sense so I did the only sensible thing: left it brewing on its own for a while and went to read fanfics instead of writing. Hope you won't be too annoyed with me... ;p There is some hints at Duo's mysterious past here, but that's still pretty nebulous. I'm warning you it will be useless to ask for explanations; those will come when I feel like it and not a minute sooner. You might know however that both the _thobe _and the _kefiyeh_ mentioned somewhere are both part of a traditional garb in the Middle East. Oh yeah, I heed some of your pleas and there's some 1x2, so you should bloody well enjoyed it! Speaking of bloody... oh well, you'll see by yourself.

Chapter 15 : The Daring Stowaway

Duo didn't care that he was being gagged by the intruder's hand; he wouldn't have cried for help even if he had been able to. There were various reasons for that but the main ones were that first, he would never live it down if his crew learned that he hadn't noticed an intruder immediately upon entering his cabin and second, he always worked on the principle that what was Shinigami's business was Shinigami's business and no one else's. Anyway, if his captor preferred to block his voice than restrain his arms, that was the poor sod's mistake and worked all the better for him.

Now you have to understand that nobody can have been a pirate for a number of years without having a mean streak or at least without developing one real fast. That's why Duo had no compunction in fighting dirty. It was true in every situation but even more so when his freedom was at risk. He fought with all he had: smashing his heels on his aggressor's toes, clutching at the restraining arms, jabbing his elbows between ribs, scratching and biting. For short, he was making a nuisance out of himself. The hitches with this plan were varied and plenty. The intruder was bigger, heavier and obviously stronger than he was. Duo hadn't slept for any stretch of time in days. He was bare-foot, his sole shirt offered no protection and his nails were blunt. The only thing he managed to accomplish in the end was to have the hand gagging him removed and his assailant grunting. It wasn't all that much as far as improvements went but he seized it anyway.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Mustering indignation didn't take any effort given the circumstances; still, perhaps because of his exhaustion, his tone came out sounding more petulant than the righteous he was aiming for.

"Please calm yourself. I don't intent you any harm."

"Yeah sure! Why do I have trouble believing that?"

Duo was still struggling and his sarcasm came out in halting words. Heero sighed wistfully.

"I swear I just want to talk. I guess you were right thinking our next encounter wouldn't be outwardly pleasant."

Duo's attention was finally caught with this whispered comment. The voice of his abductor had seemed familiar and that last remark seemed to confirm they had met before. Curious, he angled his head back against the shoulder of the man and tried to have a look at his features. The manoeuvre put him in an ambiguous position he hadn't thought through. While he was identifying the Captain Lowe with downing comprehension, part annoyance, part excitement, he stayed oblivious to the sight he presented from above. Heero's face was a breath away from Duo's glorious features. Their gazes plunged in each other's eyes. They were panting the same air. The pirate's pale throat was on display, fine skin tight against the supple flesh as he tilted his head back. As he was so much shorter than the soldier, Duo had gotten on tiptoes and arched his back to get a better view. His almost bare bottom was pressed firmly against Heero's crotch... and he was still squirming...

The result was immediate and violent. The dignified Captain Lowe let out an undignified squawk then a hoarse groan. His eyes closed in unwanted bliss and Duo froze. The captive wasn't long in understanding what happened once he stopped struggling. The hard shape pressing in the cleft of his buttocks was glaring evidence as of his captor's desires. Duo suddenly realized what sight the both of them would have presented to any onlooker: they would most likely appear like lovers tangled in a passionate embrace. He turned beet-red and shrieked going back to his struggles with new-found energy but trying this time to keep as far away from the other's body at the same time.

"Unman me this instant you pervert! I am not a girl! Was that what you expected to get intruding in my quarters? You were sadly mistaken if you think I'll let a **_queer_** grope me!"

Heero's eyes reopened instantly and he paled at the accusation. He loosened his grasp without conscious decision on his part, acting only on the instinct that he didn't want that beautiful creature to fear him. That was a stupid move of course and as soon as he did, the pirate seized the occasion to get away from him. Duo turned to eye him suspiciously and shrank back looking frantic. Realizing his mistake, Heero tried to catch him again afraid that the other would grab a weapon and attack him. Duo managed to evade the clumsy grab but he lost his footing in his panicked exhaustion. The Captain Lowe barely managed to catch him before he fell, but his rescue was seen as another attack and Duo fought him all the more. They were standing face to face, pushing and pulling, one trying to restrain without hurting, the other doing his best to hurt without being restrained.

They staggered on unsteady feet, both heaving, but neither willing to give in. It was no wonder that they ended up hitting some piece of furniture and it stood to reason that it would be the bed, as it had been the closest one since the beginning of the fight. When Duo felt the wood frame against the back of his knees, it was already too late to try and regain his footing and he was tumbling backward with a surprised yelp. Heero himself was dragged along by the momentum thanks to Duo clenching his hands on his arms in a vain effort to regain his sense of balance. The captor tumbled after his captive, falling heavily on the shell-shocked Duo and effectively trapping him on the mattress. They lay frozen a moment taking stock of their new position, disturbingly aware of how much of their bodies were really pressed against each other.

Duo squeaked and began his struggles anew unmindful of how that put his shirt in worse disarray and of how he was rubbing against his aggressor in what could appear a wanton way. Heero, on the other hand well aware of those things, was trembling with need. All his blood had gone south and the erection that never completely disappeared since Shinigami's impromptu striptease, was painfully hard once again. He wasn't able to think anymore and wasn't in any mood to consider why he shouldn't plaster himself against the lascivious body so shamelessly exposed. He plunged a hand in the thick bronze locks of his prey and clasped the other on a bony hip, profiting that the shirt had rolled up to savour the softness of the exposed skin.

Shinigami was still trying to escape but even he now had problems with keeping his body's reactions in check. He had no desire for the Captain Lowe, nor for any men really, but he was as human and healthy as anyone and close contact and friction on his naked crotch was too much to ignore. He gasped over the onslaught of unwanted pleasure and felt his penis hardening, his nipples tightening, his back arching as his body sought any kind of relief. His eyes caught and got trapped on the intense blue gaze of his captor and he couldn't suppress a needy moan. Heero's pupils dilated at the maddening sound and unable to resist such a primitive want evident in the violet eyes and flushed face, he bent to taste the generous mouth that had let that sweet moan escape.

Their lips meshed in unmitigated passion, in a kiss that was all tongue, teeth, heat and instinct. Neither of them were thinking anymore; they were just acting on a need so intensely exhilarating mere words couldn't have described it. They came together in a primal dance, a violent embrace that was old as the world and felt like nothing else save for frighteningly right. They rubbed, and grabbed, and scratched, and ground, and clenched, and bit, and at last shouted hoarsely in simultaneous orgasm. The raging wave of bliss that engulfed them was so powerful that Heero slumped forward on Duo's now still body. He felt sated on a deepest level than he had ever felt before, but couldn't yet feel anything more than that instinctive knowledge and thoughts were still an impossibility.

Shinigami however was fast regaining his senses and couldn't understand what had happened. He was terrified, like he never was; his breath was coming in short pants and he was shaking from head to toe. In his muddy head, were replaying the events, again and again. He was trying to make sense of it all without much success. He was starting to hyperventilate and couldn't find the strength to push away the heavy form of the man who was crushing him in such a disturbingly intimate way. Suddenly he knew: the Captain Lowe was the enemy! He couldn't let the soldier hurt him, he was an intruder, he had attacked him. On an impulsive gesture he hadn't even taken the time to think through, he grabbed the candelabra from the bed table and crashed it on Heero's head with deadly intent, regardless of the fact that the man was already mostly asleep.

The dull sound of metal hitting flesh resounded ominously in the silence and Duo's lips twisted in a vacant smile not unlike the one Shinigami gave his enemies before a killing blow. There was an unholy gleam in his eyes now darker than ever and he didn't look altogether sane anymore. He tried to free himself from the dead-weight and managed to haul himself against the headboard, the other's head falling in his lap. Then he saw the blood dripping from his captor's cranium and all over him, darkening the white of his shirt and pooling on his exposed skin. The smile disappeared and was replaced by an expression of horror. There were still two saltpetre lamps alight in the cabin and their cold glow made the blood flow a sickening purple. It didn't even look like blood but more like ink if not for the way it oozed along the dark strands of the fallen soldier, if not for the way it felt warm and sticky against Duo's stomach and thighs.

No matter what colour it was, Shinigami could recognized the texture of blood everywhere; he had shed and seen shed so much of it. The smell was unmistakable too; that sharp metallic scent he could almost taste on his tongue. The thought alone made him nauseous and his body seized in a visceral shudder of disgust. He couldn't get far away from the body faster enough and the strength he used to literally propel it away and throw it on the floor was more instinct than reason. He didn't look where the man had landed but scrambled on the other side of the bed, pressing his back against the headboard and curled up on himself in a tight ball, hiding his face on his knees, rocking himself and murmuring half forgotten prayers. That had been a bad move as there was blood on his knees too and some got on his cheek, chin and lips. He jerked his face away and put a hand to his mouth. There was still more blood on it; there was no way to escape it, he knew. His nausea got worse, there was the acrid taste of bile in the back of his throat, but that was better, better than tasting blood. He was doing his best not to throw up and trying to regain some measure of control on his frazzled nerves, taking deep breaths, through the mouth to not risk another whiff of the horrid smell.

After a while he was calm once again... calmer anyway. As long as he didn't look at the pool of blood on the bed nor on himself, it would be fine. But he couldn't avoid the body as much as he wanted to. He had to look, had to know if he had killed him, if the man was slowly emptying himself of his blood of the floor of his cabin. He got on hands and knees and cautiously made his way on the mattress, afraid of what he would find. He was stopped on his way when he put his hand in a slimy substance that didn't feel like blood. He raised his hand and looked at the whitish goo on his palm uncomprehendingly. That was semen. He knew that. But that wasn't right. Why was it there? There hadn't been any last time. And yet he knew there was a body on the floor like last time. He knew that when he would look on the floor he would be there, pale and still in a growing pool of blood. He knew that when he would touch him, his head would fall at an unnatural angle and roll away in a morbid parody of a child's toy. He knew it. He had seen it before, again and again, so many times behind closed eyelids under the sun and in the dead of night, awake and in slumber.

He shook himself; he had to be brave, had to confront his fears. Even if he encountered the expected gruesome scene behind the bed frame, it wouldn't kill him. He had already survived it once, so long ago. Despite those inner reassurances he was trying to boost his confidence with, it was a fearful glance he threw over the floor when he reached the end of the mattress. The mind works in strange ways at times and often it deceives us, playing on our fears and other shortcomings. Duo knew that and thus shouldn't have been surprised that it showed him precisely what he didn't want to see. It wasn't anymore the Sank's officer in his too long pants, dirty shirt and ill-fitted vest, but the wasted away corpse of his best friend in the worn _thobe_. It wasn't anymore purple blood streaming with the surf on the wooden planks of his cabin's floor, but the deep red one he remembered watching soak into the sand floor and become a dull brown. The shy finger he brought forward to touch the body was trembling, so much that he missed the shoulder he was aiming for and landed on the throat, dead on the pulse point. He froze. That wasn't right. His finger should have buried in severed muscles, sunk in dead flesh and sent the head rolling away, but instead he could feel the faint throbbing of life under warm skin. Just like that, his vision cleared, the reality superimposed over the horrific delusions of his memory and he could breath once again.

No more of this nonsense! It was time to be reasonable. He had an injured stowaway soldier in his quarters. His location alone made him his responsibility even without taking into account that he had been the one to hurt him. Besides, if he didn't act with all due diligence the man would truly die on his floor and he wasn't eager to contemplate what other ghosts such occurrence would summon. Now that he was back to his senses, he had no real trouble to perform the necessary tasks in order to keep the Captain Lowe alive. He was no doctor but knew enough to care for one injured. It wasn't like he could call for assistance anyway with Doc O still bedridden in Sally's clinic. He began to staunch the blood from the head injury wincing at the sheer amount of it. Once he had located the gash, he was glad to note it wasn't as serious as he had first feared. It could have benefited from a few stitches but could do without. There had been that much blood only because all head injuries tended to bleed profusely. He pressed a cloth firmly against the cut and used a long makeshift bandage to tie it in place. He rolled it up a number of times around his unconscious patient's head, as tight as he could in the hope that the pressure would stop the bleeding. In the end, all the hair was hidden behind what reminded him of a _kefiyeh_, if a very un-stylish one. As innocuous as it seemed, he dispelled that picture too, he knew that tonight any vague remembrance of his time in Arabia could open Pandora's box.

Now that the soldier wasn't bleeding to death anymore, Duo tackled the cleaning. He wasn't enthused by the idea of the herculean task but knew he wouldn't sleep as long as there would be blood everywhere. The sullied sheets of his bed were used to staunch the mess on himself, his victim, the candelabra and the floor, then were discarded on a faraway corner of the room. He proceeded next to divest Lowe of his upper garb which was drenched too. He left him the modesty of his pants, pointedly ignoring the wet spot in the crotch area which had an altogether different origin. That accomplished, he undressed and washed himself with special care before donning a new clean shirt fairly identical to the first one. He gathered the dirty laundry in a clean sheet and went to put it out of sight in a cabinet. He watched over the still body of his stowaway and decided he wouldn't move for a while. On a sudden impulse, he marched to the door, opened it and went to the guardrail to throw his burden overboard. That was better. Quatre would have had a fit in front of such carelessness.

Getting back to his cabin at last, he didn't want anything more than to lie and finally go to sleep. However, there was another thing he had to do before succumbing to his exhaustion. In the unlikelihood that his guest would awake during the night –or the little of it that was left anyway-- it wouldn't do to leave him able to attack or run away, despite the fact that in this last case, the cumbersome man would be out of his hair. Wearily, Duo went in search of the silken ties he knew he kept somewhere. He had learned plenty of useful things in Asia and noticeably the fine art of bondage. There was some time he hadn't used this knowledge to restrain a lover and he had lost track of the ties, but not yet thrown them away. Somehow, he hadn't envisioned he would retrieve them again in such circumstances. Life as ever was full of surprises. He found what he was looking for in the depths of his weapons chest; he wondered what that said about him... Probably nothing good.

The tying itself took no time at all as it appeared that some things couldn't be forgotten. Soon, the Captain Lowe was bound like a fat turkey in a reasonably comfortable position and gagged for good measure. Duo made sure the man could breath okay through his nose and, satisfied that the breathing, albeit shallow, was steady enough to sustain him till morning, abandoned him to his fate. Provided that the blow to the head hadn't turned his brain to mush, some hours on the floor wouldn't let him the worse for wear. After all, a stowaway couldn't really expect much more in the matters of hospitality. He was lucky enough that Duo had been too wary to wake the remainder of his crew and too tired himself to throw him in the hold as he would have done otherwise.

At any other time, the events of the night would have made sleeping impossible for Shinigami, but at the point when he finally lay down on his bed he was so exhausted that he couldn't even think anymore. That was a blessing in itself because his usual thoughts weren't things anyone would have wished to contemplate. His broken body got the better deal for once and Duo fell into oblivion as soon as his head touched the pillow with an ease he hadn't known in years.

The rest of the night was mercifully without further disasters. Duo's slumber was plagued by a few muddle nightmares of course, but nothing worse than he was used to, in spite of the painful memories the evening's events had dragged out. There was still that to be grateful for.

His well-deserved peace was however disturbed far too early for his tastes by the thunderous intrusion of an over-enthusiastic Quatre. The Prince had thrown the door open without an ounce of his usual decorum and propelled himself on Duo's bed with an amount of vigour that must be prohibited –or otherwise should—at that time of the morning. His only redeeming feat was that he had brought breakfast with him and a full pot of very strong coffee instead of the bland tea he was always trying to inflict on everyone.

The reason for that unwanted invasion of good cheer was the encounter of the previous night and Duo's promise that they would investigate the matter. In Quatre's books, that had meant they would get to it as soon as humanly possible and in hindsight, Duo realized he had been overly optimistic in thinking his friends would be sensible enough to let him the chance to rest before that. Quatre was keeping him under a steady fire of suggestions on how to begin the investigation. Most of them were lost against the drowsiness of Shinigami and it was only after he had downed most of the coffee, that he was in any condition to give his input.

"We could still go to Hilde. She's bound to know something..."

"Oh I don't think so Mister. Last time we went there she said she'd skewer you if you ever dared to come back. I trust she's the kind of girl to keep with her threats."

"Oooooh! I didn't think you cared that much about me Quatre."

Quatre lifted his nose haughtily. "I don't! It's just that I dislike open wounds and as our luck goes lately, chances are I'll have to watch."

Duo wasn't completely disagreeing on the matter. Hilde was known to be violent and they hadn't parted on the best of terms –euphemism if you ever heard of one. Still, in spite of the danger inherent to such a visit, it might be one of their best shot, maybe even the only one they would get. The girl was stubborn sure, but she had a good heart and she might help them simply because it was the right thing to do and in respect of some old loyalty to Deathscythe's crew. After all, her quarrel was only with Duo himself, not the entire team. He was about to share his thoughts with his friend when he noticed the stupefaction and open curiosity on the fair features. He caught Quatre's gaze and was troubled by the mischievous glint in the blue eyes. He was wondering what it was all about when the blond nodded to the far end of the cabin and inquired with false casualness:

"So Captain, why is there a half-naked man on your floor? And... is that what they call bondage?"

Duo who had till then forgotten everything about his unwanted guest, groaned in humiliation. He had a feeling the new day wouldn't be any good either if that start was any indication. He should really begin to lock his door against intruders from now on seeing that his privacy seemed to be of no one's concern...

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Guess**: And yet I have taken much longer to update this one. Poor you! I hope the suspense was worth it at least._

_To **Amara**: Yeah! Finally the 1x2. Well that's not yet perfect but that's tremendous progress seeing how there wasn't any till then. I like your vision of Villa de la Vega. I don't think I'll get back there which is a shame because I would have had a blast playing with a bunch of papy-buccaneers and toothless prostitutes. Oh well maybe in the side-fic I might write at some point about that time Shinigami's crew left him stranded behind. As for Relena, no sorry! As good an idea it is, I have great hopes in being able to let her as the mute character on the background till the end. _

_To **Aryam**: I sincerely hope you were counting that heavily on this part because that's not all that hot yet. I planned to do better and go further with this relationship... eventually ;p_

_To **Impish**: Thank you for your support, I'm glad to have you back. As a matter of fact I am really happy writing, I don't think there is anything else I find more satisfying. Well... when it goes my way anyhow. Hope your computer will behave and that you'll continue to enjoy the story. _


	16. The Mourning After

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing, graphic violence, sex

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.

Chapter 16: The Mourning After

Duo had had to relate the events of the previous night for Quatre's benefit. He glossed heavily over most of the details as he had no intention to dwell on what his captivated audience would have probably thought to be the interesting bits. In the end, the complicated story was condensed to a basic tale of an incompetent intruder surprised in the middle of his evil deeds and being promptly knocked out by the vigilant Shinigami. Innocuous tale, really. Didn't warrant any attention. And yet, Quatre found substance enough to mock his Captain in even those boring bland facts. For some reason, the formidable pirate using a candelabra to confront the brigand like a helpless maiden instead of a more manly sword seemed to be hilarious. Duo was all the more relieved that he hadn't given into the impulse to confess to his friend what had really transpired in that cabin; _"manly sword"_ indeed. It would have been yet more ammunition in Quatre's already considerable teasing arsenal. Moreso, with or without witness of that debacle, Duo wasn't all that eager to question his own feelings on the whole matter. "Let sleeping dogs lie," as goes the saying.

Once properly informed of the situation, Quatre had gone to check out the stowaway and wasn't all that happy with his findings. "Don't you think it was a little harsh to bind him so tight? He's already unconscious; what did you think he would do?"

"I was tired Quatre. I wanted to sleep and wasn't all that comfortable doing so in the presence of a possible assailant. So sorry for caring for my skin."

The Prince graced him with a dubious expression. "And the gag? Was it to prevent him for crawling to you and bite?"

Duo reddened. "Huh... he could have woken me up...? By screaming for example..."

Quatre glanced at him with disbelief and shook his head. "Duo, he's unconscious! He won't be screaming anytime soon."

"Still?"

"What?"

"Is he still unconscious? Not sleeping?"

Quatre got back to watching the lying man and poked him in the shoulder. There wasn't any reaction. "Oi? You alive or did our respected Captain do you in?" The only answer was Duo's disapproving hiss. The blond got closer and lifted the man's lids to check his pupils. He then turned back to Duo with a somewhat worried look.

"What time did you say it was when that you knocked him out?"

"Hmm... dunno exactly. It was a little after we got back I guess."

"Well, he's still unconscious. It's not good. You could have checked him out sooner, you selfish cur!"

"Quatre! The bloke is an intruder and he attacked me! Why should I be concerned with his well-being? And anyway, I just woke myself; it's not like I had any time to baby him." His tone was disgruntled, bordering indignant.

"That's no reason to leave him to die on your floor. You might at least have put him in bed with you."

"What? Are you out of your mind? I don't sleep with the enemy!"

"Oh for God's sake! Come off of it! I just think a little kindness wouldn't kill you, but your attitude might just kill him. We've got to bring him to Sally."

"No can do." Duo had his stubborn pout on and even Quatre always had trouble reasoning with him when he was like that. That time however, the Prince was determined to get what he wanted. He sighed, disheartened at the thought of the task awaiting.

"You bashed his skull in. Regardless of what he's done, the right thing to do is to give him the care he needs. We **have to** get him to a doctor. We can even let him at the clinic after if you want."

"That's what I said: we can't." At Quatre's annoyed grunt, he added urgently: "He's a soldier and he knows who I am. We can't release him, let alone parade him around Port-Royal."

His friend studied the intruder once again with a thoughtful frown. "How do you know he's a soldier? He isn't in uniform and I thought you didn't have time to talk...?"

Duo was stuck and had no other choice but to relent part of the truth. "I know him. That's the Captain Lowe... Relena's fiancé..."

Quatre startled and whirled fast enough to give himself whiplash. "Lowe? Do you mean he followed us here? Didn't you think to mention that little piece of information before? That's big trouble! The guy probably had the time to put everything together... Oh Allah! What are we going to do?"

"For now he's not that big a problem anyway. We can throw him in the hold and see what he says once he wake up..."

Quatre was thinking and taking his time while at it. When he spoke at last, it was with the returned confidence of someone used to devise sound plans. "My initial opinion stands. He should see a doctor... Shut up Duo! We don't need a dead Sank's Captain tied to us in anyway, so we have to make sure he'll be okay. Furthermore, we need him awake to know exactly what he learned. For all we know, he might just be angry that you slept with his girl and be seeking retribution." Quatre ignored Duo's doubtful expression and continued explaining his strategy without missing a beat. "You're right on not wanting to be seen with him however. I'll send Abdul to get Sally; she looks like the type to not ask too many questions. Once she says he's good to go, and only then, we'll see about where to keep him. I agree that the hold is a viable option but it is not my preferred choice. You have to concede it's a poor place to host a wounded man."

Duo didn't agree with every parts of the plan but in the end, still went with it because he couldn't come with a better one. He was also determined to have his way regarding the hold. Quatre was a nice chap but there was no way he would let him treat the Captain Lowe like a treasured guest; it would be the surest way to have the man land in his cabin once again and **that** wasn't an option.

They sent Hernan out to the clinic after failing to locate Abdul or Auda anywhere on the ship. They were probably still sleeping above the Barking Parrot in some ladies' arms –Quatre hoped so anyway because the fortune Duo had spent for them last night should at least have warranted the whole night. Hernan was a better choice all around as he had been the earliest in bed and should be able to take over from Rashid in watching over the ailing crew's recovery. The only inconvenient in assigning the Spanish man to the task was that he was prone to babble and it was doubtful that he would discretely take Sally aside to explain why her presence was required. Thus, it came as no surprise when the Lady Doctor came up the gangway in company of not only the bound-to-bed Rashid but with a furiously ranting Wufei in tow. Duo sighed while Quatre looked on the proceedings with sadistic glee. The past days hadn't been any fun with Wufei moping around. It was heart-warming to see him in a more healthy disposition, even if that meant he would be insufferable. After all Quatre knew enough about his Chinese friend to guess that the worse of his indignation would be directed at their Captain, as it usually was. Quatre himself was in the clear.

Wufei started lecturing as soon as he set foot in Duo's cabin while Rashid looked on disapproving. Quatre pretended to ignore the three of them and directed the doctor to her patient. She was none too pleased to find the latter bound and on the floor; she expressed her displeasure with a few colourful expletives which Quatre recorded dutifully for later use. Sally accepted his half-assed explanation as of why the man was restrained and left it at that. Her face was still scrunched up in rebuke and stayed that way through the entirety of her examination.

Quatre had grown impervious to women's dissatisfaction years ago; it had been a matter of survival while growing up with so many older sisters. He wasn't bothered by Sally's bad mood and kept his smile firmly in place. In truth, nothing could have wiped that smile off when such an entertaining conversation --if it could be called that-- was taking place behind his back. Wufei was certainly imaginative: Quatre himself wouldn't have come up with justifying his past wrath in Sank when he had almost ruined their cover as a preemptive reprimand to Duo's all new blunder of letting a soldier infiltrate the Sandrock. It was all the more brilliant because Wufei, failing to understand how the very nature of preemptiveness should negate the use of any further retroactive action, was re-enacting the old argument against an unusually meek Duo. He was getting away with this unjust abuse too as his opponent had given up early on on the pointless fight. Shinigami's strategy was sound too; most times, it was much more efficient to let Wufei rant on until he tired enough to drop the matter. That was even truer when the Chinese man had gotten little to no sleep in the past days and should thus be faster in succumbing to exhaustion.

In the end, Wufei ended his lecture when an almost convincingly sincere Duo accepted the blame for every single one of their problems. The disgruntled pony-tailed man would have still argued further just for the sake of arguing but Sally stepped in without missing a beat. The cunning woman had wasted no time in understanding their little dynamics and knew that she wouldn't have another opportunity, if she didn't seize that one.

"Now if you children are quite finished, you might want to know how your captive is fairing. At least, I thought it was the reason I had been summoned?"

The four pirates looked at her with various degree of sheepish, appearing properly chastised. Duo was always surprised to see how the proper expression of scorn on an older woman's face could still make him feel like the naughty choirboy he hadn't been for so many years. Bloody nuns sure had made a lasting impression!

"Good! The wound was still oozing a bit and wouldn't have closed properly on its own so I put in a few stitches. I didn't notice any break in the skull and his vitals are okay. I wouldn't be that worried about him not being awake yet. It's often the case with head wounds and there is no way to know how long one is gonna be unconscious after such a blow. Honestly, there is nothing more I can do, but I'm fairly optimistic: he appears to have been in good health prior to the trauma and should pull through. However, you might want to install him somewhere comfortable, because muscular stiffness could make him worse... but what the Hell I know? I'm just the doctor after all... I'd like to see him again when he'll wake up to do another examination. You know where to find me."

No one had dared to interrupt the stern Lady Doctor's tirade and everyone had stayed adequately humbled through it all. Even on their best behaviour however, the pirates didn't win more than a contemptuous glare and a disgusted snort before Sally exited the premises without once looking back.

Rashid followed her departure with wary eyes and went back to the dormitory he shared with his fellow Arabs to nurse a mounting tension headache. Wufei was trying to hide his disappointment at being reprimanded by the angry woman he had not so secretly grown fond of. Meanwhile, the other too exchanged a meaningful glance and shrugged; that wasn't the first tongue-lashing either of them received nor would it be the last one, and that wasn't like there was much they could do about it. Instead, they got to work on more pressing matters, beginning by trying to sort the new sleeping arrangements as Quatre was adamant in following the doctor's orders regarding getting their guest comfortable.

After a lengthy argument, it was decided that the Captain Lowe would be better left in one of the individual cabin on which door a lock would be kept at all time. There was only four of those as the four Arabs were sharing quarters, as were O and Hernan and Gene and Howard. Wufei's room would have been the best as it was the smallest one, not much more than a closet really --it might even have been one at some point-- but there was no way of convincing him to relent his chosen Spartan quarters. Meiran's cabin was an obvious choice as she wouldn't be occupying it for a while but once again Wufei protested, incensed that they would even suggest to let a stranger invade the girl's privacy. In the end, the Chinese man gave his grudging approval about Quatre moving in Meiran's cabin while the captive was put in the Prince's room. Duo and Quatre would have preferred another solution as that arrangement seemed to be confirmation enough for Wufei in ascertaining that Quatre and Meiran were an item. They would have to apologize to the irate Chinese girl when she learned about that particular misunderstanding.

Once everyone had been sorted out, that Quatre's cabin had been emptied of all weapons and the Captain Lowe dumped on the Prince's bed and locked away, it was time to inform Wufei of their planned investigation. In spite of his lack of sleep and his present resentment toward his Captain, the Chinese man offered to help them right away. It was clear that he would do anything in order to get rid of the curse responsible for landing Meiran in an hospital bed. He also appeared intrigued by the strange meeting his friends had interrupted last night. They had anticipated this reaction as there was no love lost between him and Kushrenada who had beaten him in a duel a few years back when they had attacked a slave ship he was on board of.

At the time, Wufei had been horrified by the conditions in which the slaves were transported and outraged when the aristocratic redhead had dared to affirm in a haughty voice that such animals deserved no better. Wufei had provoked the man in a duel and had lost. His defeat could be excused by his rage and inexperience but he hadn't seen it like that of course. Feeling dishonoured, he had almost let Kushrenada kill him. Fortunately, Deathscythe's entire crew had been present and Shinigami wouldn't let one of his own die for such a stupid reason as a bruised honour. He had rescued Wufei and sent the victor on a rowboat with the rest of the slave ship's crew. They had then freed the slaves and lead the ship to Jamaica where they had let them all go to hopefully make a new life and stay free, even if they were far away from their native Africa. Wufei had felt better after their good deed but had kept a burning hatred toward Kushrenada ever since. He had never really overcome the shame of his defeat either and had trained all the harder in the hope of one day getting his just revenge.

It was thus with enthusiasm that Wufei shared ideas with his friends on how to proceed to conduce both investigations with all due diligence. Contrary to Quatre, he agreed immediately when Duo suggested once again to go see Hilde. The Prince failed to convince them on how bad an idea it was and had to concede the validity of their point in the end. No matter if the girl had a grudge against their Captain and if asking her for help could very well turn against them, her information was always too valuable to oversee. It wasn't yet noon when the three pirates left the Sandrock to travel the streets of Port Royal. Schbeiker's Shipwreck was on the far end of town on the docks and was to date the biggest and most reputed place to get a ship made or repaired in the Caribbean.

Dietrich Schbeiker and Howard had been pals when they were young and the rumour was that they had served together in an army somewhere in Europe. The German man had moved to Jamaica around the same time as Howard and neither liked to talk about what had happened to push them to that exile. However, there was little doubt that they were wanted for one crime or another, but as it was the case for most people in Port Royal, nobody cared. Dietrich had had a hand in the original design of the Deathscythe but had never been trusted enough to the final plans: the man was too much of a gossip to entrust Shinigami's secrets to. As nosy as he could prove to be, the man was also incredibly talented when it came to boat construction and Schbeiker's Wreck had been in business for almost as long as he had lived in Port Royal.

Somewhere along the way and in spite of nobody remembering ever seeing him with a woman, the old Dietrich got himself a daughter. As the man had no other heir and because he was raising the little girl alone, Hilde fast became a fixed feature around the Shipwreck. She was a real tomboy and promised early on to become almost as talented as her father, so much that people often forgot that she was a girl and didn't give her too much grief. She was widely known, well liked and even nosier than her old man. When she got to be sixteen everyone in Port Royal already knew that when you needed to get dirt about someone, she was the one you had to ask.

A few years back, the barely twenty years old Hilde wasn't anymore innocent than most other gals in Port Royal and as tomboyish as she looked, she had already tried and tested her feminine wiles on many an occasion. Dietrich had long given up on her ever being the proper lady and had washed his hands of the whole business; Hilde was far too stubborn to bother. That was when she fell in love with Duo Maxwell who was a regular customer she had just designed a strange demonic figurehead for. She had little trouble seducing him in her bed but realized very soon that keeping him there would be another matter entirely. They had an on and off relationship for the better part of two years. That had been Shinigami's longest lasting relationship and he'd even been faithful for the most part, but Duo's commitment was still not enough for the passionate girl and their arguments soon began infamous. A little before the two years' mark Hilde decided she had had enough grief and threw him out of the Shipwreck with dire threats in the eventuality he dared show his face again. He had taken her advice at heart and stayed away until then.

Now, a little over a year after their break-up, he was back for the first time and even if it was for a good cause, he wasn't all that comfortable being there. Wufei and Quatre were flanking him as usual but Duo had no delusion that they would come to the rescue if Hilde hadn't yet had time enough to cool off. His friends always made it a point not to interfere in his private affairs --well... save for when he was stupid enough to bang the Governor's daughter. On the way to Dietrich's office where Hilde could usually be found around lunchtime, the few Shipwreck's employees they met saluted them amiably, but they all looked at Duo with the pity one awarded a man condemned to the gallows. That wasn't all that reassuring even less when Quatre was worrying his lip between nervous teeth and Wufei was brimming with the anticipation to see his Captain receive his deserved punishment for whatever imagined offence.

When Duo pushed the door to the office at last, he felt like he really was ascending the stairs leading to the pillory. Bravely, he shook himself from all fears, took a deep breath and entered the large study room , Quatre and Wufei following suit. When questioned later, Duo would not be able to explain how he had known to duck but it definitely saved his life because the axe that came to stick in the wall behind him had been perfectly aimed and very very sharp. It was also fortunate that Wufei had the reflex to push Quatre aside or the Prince would have been the one with the split open head once Duo had ducked. Hilde would have been awfully embarrassed as she had always liked Quatre. In the end, there were all alive and whole but it sure had been a close call. Shinigami, always the first to recover, couldn't help but to taunt the short-haired woman who was seething behind her desk.

"Hildie! I think you _"missed"_ me!"

There were two groans behind the cheeky pirate and an outraged shriek from the German girl. This time, Duo could easily explain that he knew to duck because he had been expecting the second projectile. He was still sad to see to globe he had offered Hilde after she complained that she didn't know the world outside of Jamaica, crash against the wall. That had such a touch of finality, it was heart-breaking; whatever their relations would be like from now on, it was clear that there wouldn't be any make-up sex. More's the pity!

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Katonie **(for chapter 14): That's the first time I've been deified; for now I like being worshiped just fine. Thanks. And no worries, I plan to see this story through the end no matter what. It might take some time however._

_To **Impish**: Hope the infernal machine will stay on its best behaviour from now on. Glad you appreciated the smexy tidbits. I swear there will be more in a while._

_To **Amara**: I'm doing my best to point out the lack of morals of my dear Duo; he's an amazing pirate to write. And yeah I like to write improbable scenes, I have a taste for the burlesque. As for Quatre, sad to say he's probably used to his Captain's antics already. _

_To** Guess**: I could say the same about your review: I very much liked it. Thanks. _

_To **TKQ**: Do not fear! I have no intention whatsoever to go with the rape as a plot device. There indeed is something awful in Duo's past but it isn't anything like rape. I won't say anything more because I don't want to spoil but I thought your worries were important enough to dispel. Thank you for reviewing and welcome amongst the growing crowd of the amazing readers who comment._

_To **Eve**: Thank you for coming out of the lurkdom to leave such a nice comment. I hope you'll like the following chapters just as well and yes, I promise I'll try to put a little more romance as soon as I can._

_To **Hikaru**: You're getting fairly inarticulate with your comments... hmm me thinks I like it because that must mean that you like it. ;p Hope you'll like the "more" even if it is tedious in comparison with chapter 15._


	17. The Plot of Doom

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, cross-dressing, swearing, graphic violence, sex

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: A huge reward on his head, a crew who doesn't take him seriously, a few vindictive ex girlfriends and a vicious curse which sticks like a bad smell. The fearsome pirate Shinigami thinks it can't get worse. A stalkerish Heero will prove him wrong.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh boy! I can assure you that writing that was even more painful for me than it was for you to wait for it. You know how bad I am at dialogues? Well chapter 17 is an unending dialogue which ended up being twice as long as standard chapters so you'll have to forgive the time it took to write. In these conditions I was forced to boost the promised Trowa and Heero scenes to the next chapter. I hope you won't be too disappointed. On the bright side, this chapter will answer a whole lot of questions. Enjoy!

Chapter 17 : The Plot Of doom

After the broken sound of shattering clay, the tense silence was almost deafening by comparison. The petite brunette had her arms braced on her desk and her hands were clenching and unclenching while she made praise-worthy efforts to rein in her temper. After a few minutes of the same tense silence, no more objects had come crashing in the visitors' direction. That was an encouraging sign in and of itself but Hilde's fury didn't seem like it had abated for all that admirable show of restraint. Upon noticing the amused smile and fond look Shinigami was now directing at the girl, Quatre thought it was a wonder she hadn't yet attempted further lethal actions. For having himself been on the receiving end of Duo's occasional patronizing, Quatre was very aware on how grating it could get, especially coming from someone that behaved like a child most of the time. He hadn't known Hilde capable of that much self-control.

The next sound came from Dietrich who had been standing frozen in the far corner of the room since the beginning of the scene. Everyone had completely ignored him until then and Quatre couldn't fathom for the life of him why the fool would want to change that. Nevertheless, his tactless and resounding throat's clearing attracted with unerring accuracy the attention of everyone present when much tougher men had learned the hard way to avoid that very situation. Once he had their attention, far from deflating, the man threw them a brilliant smile and welcomed them jovially.

"Hullo boys! Such a pleasure ta see y'all! How come we don't see ya anymore?"

The worst was probably that the puzzlement as the joy appeared genuine. That didn't prevent him from earning a scathing look from his daughter, which he not only took in stride but altogether dismissed. Quatre was of course too polite to say what he thought of the man's daunting; however, that wasn't Wufei's case. The latter had always considered indiscretion as being the ninth deadly sin, coming just behind stupidity; both of those Dietrich had in spades and Wufei positively despised him. Thus, the Chinese man's disparaging snort surprised no one but earned him his very own Hilde-glare, which he responded to with his usual infuriating raised eyebrow. Sometimes, Quatre could just slap that arrogant prick. It was no secret either that Wufei and Hilde had always just barely tolerated each other. Wufei thought all women were weak and inferior, save perhaps for Meiran and more recently Sally who either way were the exception rather than the rule. Meanwhile, Hilde loathed his superior attitude, with good reason too. And his friends wondered why he had insisted it was such a bad idea to come here; more fool them! It was begging trouble --as if they hadn't already more than their share of it.

Resolute or maybe resigned, Quatre chose to support his companions no matter how stupid they obviously were. Hilde's anger hadn't dwindled but in having it aimed at more than one target it could at least be made manageable without impending murder. It was the time for the Prince to take his share of the burden and it wasn't that hard to get when one was such a fine strategist. Hilde had always been on the plump side, not fat per se, but voluptuous to the extreme and strangely that had always been a sore point with her. That was the only way in which her feminine vanity manifested. Usually, Quatre wouldn't stoop so low as to taunt someone on such a mundane thing but he knew that sometimes even callousness was called for.

"Throwing axes Hilde? That's wise. They're much more effective than knives. Too bad they're so heavy; I'm not robust enough myself to carry it off."

The seemingly off-hand comment was emphasized by a pointed look to the chubby forearms left bared by the blue camisole she wore and if Quatre pulled off the innocent and guileless air well enough, no one was fooled for one second. The three other men actually winced while Hilde flushed and growled. There! Now she was angry at everyone and not exclusively at her ex-lover. Her anger thus dispersed didn't carry on anymore the dangerous levels it had when channelled: Duo's chances of survival had just greatly improved.

After that it didn't take all that long for the pirates to be seated round the desk in a parody of welcome. They were even offered refreshments and everybody made a point not to comment on the fact that Duo was the only one served with clear water while Quatre sipped the jasmine tea he favoured and Wufei tasted Maotai for the first time in years. Those two beverages were equally, if for different reasons, hard to come by in Port Royal, especially when of that quality and Hilde must have gone to a lot of trouble to find those. When one knew that Duo's preferred drink was the sweetened rum that could be bought anywhere in the Caribbean, the girl's statement was clear: "yes I can do much for people and will in most cases, but **you** can die!"

In a more subtle way, she was also telling them that she had awaited their visit and had been prepared for it. That meant she knew of Deathscythe's crew's suffering and was willing to help as long as it was clear to everyone that she wasn't doing it for Duo. Hilde was usually pretty blunt but she had visibly put much thought in her grudging offering and they knew they should take it at face value and not push for more. She wasn't their friend anymore but would provide help of sorts. It was still better than to have her as an enemy.

"So Duo, how did you land half your crew in the hospital exactly?"

The Captain bristled at the accusation; it wasn't his fault... per se. They all had been enthusiastic enough with this treasure hunt in the beginning. It wasn't as if he had to force anyone. No one could have foreseen the unpleasantness that would follow the retrieval of that damn cross. But no matter, Hilde would put all the blame on his head of course. Life was so unfair!

"I'm not sure you'd believe me even if I told you. Let's just say we have had the worst of luck lately and we have reason to believe it might be the fault of an artefact Serin wanted us to bring back."

A spark of interest lit behind the blue eyes: obviously there had been something in that short explanation the girl hadn't been privy to. That was a good thing because if you managed to rouse Hilde's curiosity, it was always much easier to gain her favours.

"How bad a luck are we talking about?"

"Bad. Even by my account if you know what I mean..."

She made an uncompromising humming sound; she knew what he meant. Duo, for all his faults, was neither squeamish nor a coward so, what he thought merely bad would have called for much more dire adjectives from anyone else.

"Okay. That explains why you would dare to come in here at least. I'd like to have specifics however: I need to know what kind of bad if you want me to help."

Duo studied her expression intently, wondering if she was just fishing for the juicy bits or if it really was important. Coming to a decision at last, he nodded to Quatre, silently giving permission to continue the story. If someone had to give his ex-lover weapons against him that might as well not be himself. Perhaps that would be comforting once the sad story was known everywhere in the Caribbean and the slander began. Quatre took on where he had left off without missing a beat and with more diplomacy than Duo would have used.

"Some things mightn't seem all that weird when you think about it: like systematic bad weather wherever we sailed, illnesses and odd injuries to all of us, even some skirmishes with other ships that turned out rather more badly than usual. Those things might be explained simply because of what we do. That's why we weren't all that worried in the beginning, but that's just it: it doesn't stop and it's getting... weirder."

Hilde made an agreeable sound, prompting him to go on. That she hadn't yet interrupted him sufficed to prove she wouldn't dismiss the matter. She knew enough to suspect they wouldn't bother her for something as mundane as a regular string of bad luck as all pirates were meant to hit once in a while. She was just waiting patiently for the punch-line to wager an opinion.

"We found bugs in our rations within a week of sailing. It's possible of course, if the flour hadn't been inspected properly, but Auda and Meiran did the purchases and well... you know how they are... At the same time we were stranded several days in the middle of nowhere without a wisp of wind. I had never seen such a calm spell before, it felt... unnatural."

The slight frown on Hilde's chubby face reflected her worry and everyone was staring at Quatre with concern. He hadn't before told any of them what he had thought of their stranding and it was worrying when the Prince admitted to _feeling_ something bad. He had always been more in tune with the world at large and had often strokes of inspiration or manifestations of instinct that for all they couldn't be explained, proved deadly accurate nine times out of ten. His faint sense of wrongness, unclear as it was, suggested they were indeed in a lot of trouble. They were all observing a wary silence and it didn't appear that Quatre would say anything further. That's when Wufei intervened with his usual snark.

"Then the seagulls attacked."

Hilde and Dietrich --whose presence everyone had forgotten yet again-- did a double take while Quatre sighed with resignation. Duo was glaring at Wufei, silently scolding him for having revealed their most embarrassing misadventure. Indifferent to his Captain's ire, Wufei smiled smugly and continued the tale in gory details. It was clear that was the thing he had found most disturbing in the lot and he wasn't anywhere near ready to forgive the fact that Meiran had been hurt. As long as he had no one other to blame for the incident, Duo would take the brunt of his indignation as it should be. In Wufei's eyes, the Captain should be held accountable for everything that went on on his ship and that was that. Hilde seemed to be of the same opinion but as she was working under a previous prejudice against Duo, it wasn't all that surprising. She also appeared duly impressed by that last feat and agreed that if nothing else the seagulls' attack proved without a doubt that they were cursed. Duo's shoulders slumped. He had known it was most likely it, but he really really didn't want it to be a curse and had still hoped there was another explanation. So much for that!

"Hmm... Who did you say commandeered the artefact?"

"Serin."

"Serin? Bloody Hell! The man disappeared about a month ago. But I guess you knew that already?"

"Yeah, we knew. That was one of the nasty surprises waiting for us when we arrived in Port Royal. And he had promised us such a nice recompense for the damn thing... Anyway, we thought you might know something about his... timely disappearance?"

"_Timely_? Oh! I see. You think he might have wanted you to get stuck with a cursed artefact. Well, honestly I wouldn't have pegged Serin for the sort to do that to you... Not that I believe the old bastard is able to like anyone but because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be fool enough to want to anger Shinigami. So, I don't know. Seems a little farfetched: someone would have to make a really impressive offer... Yet again, the rumours surrounding his disappearance seems a little farfetched too. Something about a nephew he had to take care of or some such."

"His nephew? Isn't that interesting?"

Hilde who had harboured a thoughtful expression all along her explanation was now watching Duo with interest. She was curious to know what about this hypothetical nephew could warrant an interruption. Duo gave her that self-satisfied smirk she had learned to hate all the more since she had been quite fond of it in a previous life.

"What? Hildie sweetheart, don't tell me there is something _you_ don't know about! I am very disappointed in you. I admit that it is rather old news but still... I believed everyone knew about that."

Duo was staring at her with an innocent expression so false it made her want to hurt him... well, want to hurt him more. The two other pirates had perked up and were trying hard to look uninterested... and failing, while Dietrich was obviously recounting all the old gossip he ever spread to find the relevant bits. Good luck with that!

"Serin hasn't spoken with his sister for more than thirty years, when she up and went to get married to Dekim Barton."

Quatre spluttered. "Lagrange's Governor? You're kidding right?"

"Nope! Then, he wasn't Governor yet mind you. There were even rumours Dekim's wife was the one who helped him do his father in in order to speed the proceedings with the succession of the post of Governor. I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. She was a nasty piece of work even as a kid. After all, not all poor sixteen years old girl managed to get the rich father of their bastard child to marry them."

Everyone was looking at Duo with a mixture of admiration at his knowledge of events so long past and disgust at his callousness in digging up that old filth. Quatre appeared in deep thinking and Duo stayed silent waiting for him to come up with the only logical conclusion. He wasn't disappointed when the Prince began his argument aloud after only a few minutes. It took awhile because Quatre had to dredge up all the knowledge he had assembled about Caribbean politics since he had begun sailing with Shinigami. Unfortunately, the events he needed to refer to had all happened before his enlistment and had occasionally been dismissed as irrelevant; some of them were thus hard to conjure.

"Okay. Barton is Serin's brother in law. Tell me if I got that right. Barton had two kids: a girl and a boy, Leïa and Trowa. Trowa Barton died eight years ago, hmm... in the Mediterranean if I'm not mistaken. So, admitting Serin was being truthful, and that's a big if, he couldn't be talking about Trowa... However, he could have been talking about Leïa's husband which would be his nephew too, if only by marriage. Leïa is also dead but she was married to..."

Quatre gasped and it was Wufei who finished ominously: "Treize Kushrenada."

"That makes sense." That was Quatre again and Duo ducked just in time to dodge the glare Wufei was aiming at the Prince. There was no reason after all that Duo should suffer his comrade's anger when it wasn't aimed at him for once. He had already had more than his fair share, thank you very much! Quatre received the glare in full force but was much too polite to cringe and only explained himself in that collected aristocratic voice he invariably used when Wufei was getting angry with him --which to be honest, was not nearly as often as he got with Duo.

"Well, sorry Wufei but it does. On one side we have the man who sent us looking for the cross linked with Kushrenada and on the other we have Merquise conveniently attacking us just after we left the island. In light of this new development it doesn't seem all that weird anymore that the two of them were all chummy last night in a dark alley. That's obvious they have plenty to plot about." A pointed glance to Duo: "That would be your untimely demise Captain... with all due respect."

Wufei's glare had abated if not completely disappeared in front of Quatre's logic but Duo wasn't yet convinced.

"Why would they go to such lengths?" Duo pursued hastily when he caught Hilde readying a scathing reply. "I mean, I get why they would want to kill me: they sure are no friend of mine but what I don't get is why would they ally themselves, and why a curse? No matter how you're looking at it that's going a little overboard. I can't believe I am that big a threat to whatever else they're plotting."

Nobody had an answer for that, especially when no one was willing to stroke Shinigami's already over-inflated ego by telling him that yes he could be that big a threat if he put his heart into it and a damn pain in the ass in the meantime. Duo appeared to be musing over something on his own anyhow and it was usually best to leave him to it. It was no secret that his mind worked in strange ways and that he could at times make leaps of logic that even Quatre's brilliant mind couldn't come up with. The downside was that those illuminations were unpredictable and even more so because Duo was easily distracted. He hummed to himself and turned to Hilde once again.

"Did you hear anything about Merquise or Kushrenada lately? Like what they are up to?"

Hilde had obviously been thinking along those lines and answered as soon as prompted.

"Nothing much from Merquise, aside from him being even more of a recluse than usual; you'd think all of Port Royal had gotten the leprosy or something. Well that and the Bitch going around boasting that they kicked your ass and sent you running to your mother."

"_The Bitch"_ was how most people refered to Merquise's second and the name was well chosen even if the blond Valkyrie insisted to be addressed to as Sette Contessa --which was a so-called inside joke between her and her Captain, if the rumours were to be believed and if one could imagine that either of them had any sense of humour, something about her insisting on being below him. Hilde hated the woman and was thus divided between frowning at the thought of her sole existence or grinning at her recent slander of Duo. The latter made a noncommittal noise and Hilde resumed her gossip.

"As for Kushrenada, he appears to be his usual arrogant self, a little busier maybe but still faithful to Melanie's brothel. He's coming back every three weeks like clockwork. A few days ago there was also talk about him being attacked by a couple of ships, one from Lagrange and the other Romfeller's, working together! That was so ludicrous nobody's buying it. And... well that's all."

"What business would Lagrange have for attacking him anyway if he's the son in law of the Governor?"

Wufei's naivety could almost be endearing at times. The man had zero concept of treachery and took to family honour more faithfully than any religious zealot to their god. Duo might have pounced on the stupid question and have a go at Wufei's illusions if the latter had not gone on with increasingly misplaced confidence.

"Now that I think about it, I seemed to recall he also has family in Romfeller anyway. Dermail is his uncle or something..." Wufei stopped abruptly when he noticed the pole-axed expression on the faces around him. "What?"

The others were calling themselves all kinds of fools. The evidence was so glaring it was a wonder it hadn't pierced a hole through their brainless heads. Quatre actually struck his palm on his brow; the accompanying "duh!" was silent but heard clearly to all present all the same. It was Hilde that gave voice to their collective realization.

"I never thought about how much power that man could get if he simply tried. Officially he is commissioned by Oz and it's common knowledge that he's sleeping with the Governor's wife. There are rumours that she's already the one pulling the strings behind the scenes with her husband's dying. So that means Kushrenada has some leeway in three of the four colonies. That's..."

Well yeah, exactly! There wasn't really any word fitting such a situation. To discover that a man as arrogant and cunning as Treize Kushrenada had managed to gather so much potential power with no one the wiser was terrifying indeed. And Duo was suddenly thinking that he was privy to just the bit of information that would tip the scale from a big problem to an all and out cataclysm. Lucky him! He had always wanted to be seen as the Harbinger of Death.

"You can make that all four colonies Hildie."

She gave him a sharp look and he tried to keep his voice dispassionate even under the breathless attention she and his friends were weighing on him.

"He's chummy with Merquise. Quatre said it himself and that would be his link to Sank."

The scrutiny got more intense if at all possible and he snorted disgustedly.

"Am I the only one with half a brain here? Don't tell me none of you ever wondered who the Hell Merquise is and why he wears that stupid mask."

There were blank looks and he rolled his eyes heavenward.

"Let's see! First piece of evidence: an incredibly rich man appears out of nowhere three years ago with a brand new ship and decides to become a pirate while he obviously thinks the lot of us are beneath him. Second piece of evidence: he wears a mask that he never takes of, suggesting that he's hiding something... like his identity maybe? Come on, think people!"

The silence stretched; his audience didn't appear to be breathing and he took pity of them.

"Does nobody remember who disappeared in strange circumstances barely a year before that? I'll give you a hint: he was a rich spoiled brat with an attitude, long blond hair and connections..."

Quatre got it at last and exclaimed in a defeated tone: "Milliardo Peacecraft! The son of Sank's Governor. We're all doomed."

"Congratulations Quatre. Were it not for that disheartening comment at the end I would have given you a reward. I believe my friends that we have on our hands two megalomaniacs out to conquer the world. I hope you'll forgive me for wishing we would be back to battling flesh eating zombies."

They all sat stunned and nobody even appeared to notice Duo's attempt at sarcasm. In the end it was Hilde who broke the silence once again. You had to give the girl points to keeping her head.

"Well now at least we know why they cursed you. They have little influence in Port Royal but they must know that we would fight them. The last thing they need is for us to have someone under whose banner to rally and the logical choice for a leader would be Shinigami. But of course if you and your crew are fighting off a vicious curse and become the laughing stock of the pirating world, they can count on us being too disorganized to be any kind of threat. That is annoyingly clever."

Everyone agreed silently. Duo didn't have the heart to complain that people would simply expect him to save them. There was a long time he had come to terms with those odd twists of fate that kept on piling up on him. It was usually no use protesting, rather like with curses really, and speaking of: "Well that is good and well but I suppose we shan't take that lying down so... those who think we should try to get rid of that damn curse so I can get on to be the Free World's saviour, raise your hand!"

Nobody did of course but his jibe had a mixed success in shaking everyone out of their apathy. That was a start. Brave relentless Hilde was the one to go on once again.

"What kind of artefact was it exactly? That might narrow the number of potential curses, which will be necessary if we want to find a counter curse."

Rather than waste time in pointless descriptions, Duo opened his vest and took out the bundle of clothes which enveloped the cross. He unceremoniously dumped it on Hilde's desk. "Here it is! Look for yourself!"

The girl's answer was to shriek in indignation: "You brought a cursed artefact in my home? Are you insane? Take that thing away!"

Duo considered her with a mix of incredulity and disgust that was quite surprising coming from the usually tolerant persona he reserved just for Hilde. "Of course I brought it here! It is damn logical to bring the object one want to be identified to the person who's expected to identify it. How come you didn't puzzle that out by yourself is beyond me."

"Because I thought you would have the sense to throw the damn thing away you dimwit! What the Hell did you keep it for?"

Duo was already feeling the twin accusing glares of his crewmembers and sighed tiredly. It was damn uncomfortable to be pinned between the onyx gaze from one side and the clear blue eyes from the other. It was a little like being trapped between Hell and Heaven when either seemed so unappealing. Stuck in the Purgatory; the story of his life really. He was about to launch into another explanation on why he thought it would be such a bad idea to get rid of the cross without trying to know more about that particular curse when the ever forgotten Dietrich came unexpectedly to the rescue.

"Are you daft Hilde? You don't trifle wit' a curse. That make' it worse! If t'was easy ta gerrid o'one just getting rid o' the cursed thing, nobody would botha ta curse no one. Ain't it true Duo?"

For a man who had spoken English exclusively for more than twenty years, his mastery of the language left much to be desired especially when his German accent was coming forth even more when he was upset. Duo still got the gist of what Dietrich meant in spite of the horrendous diction and found himself amused by the horrified expression, and even more so by the hopeful appeal at the end. Howard had told him years ago that a drunk Dietrich had confided once he believed his daughter to be a curse some angry woman had cast on him. It was an interesting way to see parenthood for sure and the two pirates had found it hilarious. Sobering, Duo recalled they had even been tempted to believe it at the time: Hilde had been such a bratty kid, a real hellion. Of course, it was long before she got all grownup and developed such a nice pair of breasts. He wondered humorously if the old German had really contemplated throwing his own kid on the curb and refrained only for fear of getting cursed with something worse. Anyway, as mistaken and wrong as it was, Dietrich's conviction was working for him and he would have been a fool not to seize the occasion to strengthen his position.

"You know your dad's right Hilde. Even if you never encountered a curse on your own, I was led to believe that you knew something of them."

It was true. It wasn't any kind of secret that good-natured Hilde --good-natured when she wasn't pissed off anyway-- was friendly with the native Arawaks and the escaped slaves who populated the inland of Jamaica. Those people were well versed in ancient arts and traditions that encompassed, but were not limited to, the feared voodoo and other kinds of dark magic which the rest of the world tended to consider as rubbish --little did they know. Duo was quite certain that the girl had managed to pick up a few things while amongst them even if it was only knowledge and didn't include any hand-on practise. Most people knew about that peculiar hobby of hers but usually kept silent about it because sailors tended to be superstitious. That's why probably Hilde was observing Duo like a scientist would have some intriguing but disgusting bug. It was clear that she was reluctant to share the secrets that had been entrusted to her. She might also have been doubting Duo's own trustworthiness. He didn't fret under her watchful stare and in the end she seemed to yield.

She took a careful breath and with a muttered "very well," bent over the bundle of cloth still lying on her desk. She carefully unwrapped it and the cross appeared at last. Duo watched the proceedings dispassionately while Quatre and Wufei discretely averted their gazes, as if looking at the thing would somehow worsen the curse. On the contrary, Dietrich and Hilde gasped in a perfect ensemble when they got their first look. Duo couldn't blame them. The cross was really a damn fine object aesthetically speaking: beautifully crafted in the purest gold and incrusted with enormous cuts of emeralds, sapphires and diamonds. Duo suspected however that Dietrich's appreciation came more from the value of the cross than from its beauty. He also thought that Hilde's reaction had nothing to do with awe one way or another: more likely she had already identified the thing or made a good guess; and she wasn't impressed, or rather she was but in all the wrong ways, which was even worse.

"Duo, where did you find it exactly?"

She hadn't even lifted her head, still appearing to study the cross she held with a sort of fearful reverence. Her tone was oddly strained too and Duo was beginning to worry. He hoped she hadn't discovered he just contaminated her with the curse or some such: that would piss her off.

"A little archipelago in Lagrange territory. Nobody live there."

"I see. And you didn't think it was weird?"

"Huh... no? It's not quite that unusual; there still are many uninhabited islands in the Caribbean Hilde."

"Okay maybe, but was there any particular reason you could think of for people to avoid that archipelago."

"Well yeah... nasty reefs, unpredictable currents, tricky swamps, poisonous flora, unfriendly fauna and... sucky weather!"

He had playfully ticked off the points on the fingers of one hand and blurted out the last with a helpless shrug once he noticed he held Hilde's unamused attention. Finally she threw her arms in the air with an exasperated grimace.

"And **that** didn't give you a clue you should well leave the damn thing alone?"

"Well... it happens in our line of work. We lived through worse," he answered with a pout.

"It was put there so no one would dig it up, you moron! That's the _Pectus Fidei_!"

Duo started and his face drained of all colours. "No!" It was meant to be sharp but came out in an uncertain tone as if he was begging for reassurance. None was forthcoming.

Wufei was blank, obviously not knowing what it was all about but Quatre appeared introspective. His lips were moving, forming words silently while he tried to recall long forgotten Latin studies. When he spoke it was in an hesitant tone and with a puzzled smile.

"Pectus Fidei? Heart of Faith? That doesn't sound all that dreadful... does it?"

Duo refused to answer or he might even not have heard the question at all. Hilde trailed a nervous hand in her short dark hair and sighed before saying: "That was the original name. Now most people know it as _el Corazòn de Pega_; I suppose you've heard of that one?"

Quatre's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah: _oh!_"

Hilde looked disgusted by the whole situation and at the same time furious to feel as powerless as she did. She glared accusingly at Duo, clearly all the more determined to put all the blame on him.

"Of all the cursed artefacts to put your greedy paws on, couldn't you have found one which had a known cure? It got every crewmembers of the Sea Monkey last time it was found and not in a pretty way if the rumours are true."

Duo was still unresponsive, eyes glazed and lips parted in a stunned expression. Hilde snorted and accused: "For fuck's sake Duo, I thought that you if anyone could recognize such a famous item. Similar things happened to Guybrush Threepwood after he got the cross, it doesn't take a genius to make the connection."

At long last, Duo stirred but when his voice rose, it was shaky and lost. "B-but... given the name, I always thought it was a jewel... a red one you know? There isn't even a ruby or a garnet on the thing."

Hilde stared at him as if he was incredibly dumb and he made a helpless gesture. She pinched her nose between thumb and forefinger and asked longsuffering: "I believe you grew up in a church Duo..? So... remind me what item is usually at the center of the Catholic faith? At the _"heart"_ of it if you prefer?"

"Huh... hm... a cross which refers to Jesus crucified," he recited dumbly before adding defeated: "You're right, I **am** a moron."

Wufei was next to interrupt the uneasy silence and it soon appeared his thoughts hadn't been idle all that time.

"If I recall the story correctly, wasn't Threepwood supposed to have thrown the cursed artefact at sea at some point, in a desperate bid to get rid of the curse?"

Duo answered in that same defeated tone: "Yeah that's what people say anyway. That's also after he got rid of the thing that the curse got worse and his crewmembers began to drop dead one after another. Nice chap that Guybrush but not too bright: anyone could tell you it was stupid to try and guess with such a powerful curse. I have a feeling he didn't throw the cross in the ocean but rather buried it somewhere out of the way in the hope it would stop acting out, which was every bit as stupid in any case. He always had a thing for weird deserted island, I really should have guessed."

Mercifully, no one made any further comment on that subject. It was clear that Duo felt guilty enough on his own without the need for anyone to needle him. It was a testament to how much they were all unsettled that no one even reacted to the fact he spoke of Guybrush Threepwood as if he had known him when the man in question had died more than fifty years before. Maybe it was just that Shinigami could empathize with a Captain whom had witnessed the suffering and death of his crew and all he held dear before dying himself only because he had been stupid enough to unknowingly steal a cursed artefact. Shinigami had to come to terms with the reality that it might just become his own fate and one couldn't really fault the depths of his misery.

Fortunately, Duo wasn't one to dwell and he had no intention to stop fighting no matter how impossible the odds he was pitched against. He always tried to see the bright side of everything by thinking that he had already lived through worse, and in most cases it was true. What did he have to lose anyway? He straightened with determination and set his features in stone. The strange purple eyes were gleaming menacingly and a muscle in his jaw kept twitching.

"Okay people! It is bad and it is going to get worse but what the hell! I am not going to wait to watch all of us die! Guybrush was a moron and had always had the worst of luck to begin with. That is not our case. We're lucky bastards usually so that gives us something of an advantage. There has to be a way to lift that curse, we just haven't found it... **yet**!"

His eyes were now bright, his smile manic and predatory and he was almost shouting. No one would have dared to interrupt him: they knew it wasn't Duo anymore but Shinigami in all his glory and the temptation to flee his awesome presence was compelling. Impervious to the growing tension in the room, Duo went on with unshakeable focus.

"Everyone heard about what the curse did to the Sea Monkey crew but little is known about where they found the artefact. Only vague references to some Catholic Mission somewhere in the jungle. That's where we have to begin: retracing the path of the cross and we will find a cure! Guybrush couldn't have found his own ass with two good hands but he liked to brag about his so-called adventures and I am sure there is someone somewhere that heard that particular story; we just have to find them!"

Then, he slumped like a puppet whose strings had been cut while his audience stared shell-shocked. Duo wasn't usually one for inspirational speeches nor that good with strategy, it was thus not that surprising that his harangue had taken such a toll on him. It had been effective however, in shaking everyone else out of their apathy if nothing else. Quatre put his mind to work almost immediately and if his next suggestion was a little stuttered and preceded by an undignified squeak promptly swallowed, no one held it against him.

"We should go where he used to live. There might still be people there who knew him or at least heard about him... However, I'm not sure where that is to be honest... Hilde?"

The girl was still watching Duo as if she was hypnotized, not that anyone could blame her. When he was behaving like that, it was easy to understand the fascination Shinigami exerted on people, and when she was completely honest with herself, she knew she wasn't yet over him nor if she ever would. It was trying to get back on tracks and she needed a little more time to contemplate the might-have-been's. Fortunately, no one called her on it because Dietrich was the one to answer Quatre. After all, he was a pretty good gossip in his own right and when it came to such old stories he was even more reliable than his daughter.

"That'd be Melee Island, lad. Old Guybrush used ta court the Governor Elaine Marley there. Rumours have it that she wouldn't have given him the time o' day but he kept tryin' anyway."

"Melee Island? Governor _Elaine_ Marley? Since when can women be governor?"

The questions and indignant protest came from Wufei of course and Dietrich just shrugged and finished his explanation seemingly undaunted by the interruption.

"She was no real governor, jus' looked like it. Wasn't the same in the old days. Everyone was doin' almost as they pleased. There was a group of islands where pirates lived at that time just south of where Niew Romfeller's main island is now. There was an old man that proclaimed himself Governor and when he died his granddaughter stepped in his place. She mus' have been kinda scary because no one made a move ta stop her."

They all took a time to digest the new information but there wasn't any question in anyone's mind that the Deathscythe was about to depart for a new adventure and that Melee Island would be their next destination. Without wasting any more time, Duo began to make a hasty list of what they would need for the journey and gave it to Dietrich, impressing on him the necessity to make everything available immediately. They couldn't well depart without sails for example and Deathscythe's old black ones had been damaged beyond repair by the crazy seagulls. As it went, Duo hadn't needed to be worried as when it came to business Dietrich was more than capable. That he was already privy of the dire of the situation also helped and it was with swift diligence that he exited the office bellowing orders to his employees.

In the room where the others were still seated now there wasn't much they could get done immediately, the silence stretched uncomfortably. Hilde had gotten her bearings at last and was annoyed with herself for having succumbed yet again to Duo's magnetic aura. That's what, more than the need to end the interview on a lighter note, pushed her to make her next comment.

"Hysterics aside Duo, I was kind of surprised to see you come in with trousers on. I heard you made an unexpected fashion statement not that long ago. A purple dress? Bold!"

She smirked and Duo blushed and spluttered. "How can you know about that?"

"I saw it in my crystal ball of course. What did you expect?"

"Okay. I probably don't want to know... I didn't wear the thing for pleasure anyway, those were dire circumstances!"

"Whatever you say Duo... Hm, now that I think about it, that explains a few things..."

She had on a thoughtful expression that was obviously exaggerated but Duo was too reeled to notice it or the devilish sparkle in her eyes. Quatre was trying to smother his chuckles behind his hand and even Wufei was almost but not quite grinning. Looking falsely chastised, Hilde offered a sympathetic look to Duo and went as far as to take his hand and pat it with dramatic commiseration.

"That must have been so hard all these years trying to hide what you were inside. Oh Duo! I am so sorry, if I had known, I wouldn't have been so hard on you. I should have guessed with your hair and the way you can't get emotionally attached to another woman. But really Duo, you shouldn't hide something like that, we are your friends, we wouldn't turn on you just because you're a little queer."

Duo's face had reddened so hard it was almost purple and he looked about to suffocate. **"I am not queer!"**

Far from frightening Hilde into silence, Duo's outburst only convinced her to up the act another notch and she brought a hand to her mouth as if to repress a sob. "Oh poor dear! That's obvious you're in denial..."

That and the teary eyes might have been a little over the top but at this point Duo was too far gone to realize it. He spluttered some more and simply stormed out in a rage. The door slammed behind him and the others were left behind to stare at the chair that had fallen in his wake. Hilde was smiling smugly with the air of the cat that got the cream and soon all three were laughing hard. Even Wufei seemed to have forgotten for the time being that such vulgar behaviour was beneath him. After a few minutes of heartfelt laughter that did wonders in dispelling the gloom of the past hours, Hilde complained playfully.

"Pity that man has so short a temper! I was just getting into it. I didn't even have the time to talk about the besotted officer that searched for him everywhere in Sank's Capital. I would have loved to see what he came up with to explain that!"

Then she was chuckling anew unaware of Quatre's sudden gasp. Now that he thought about it, Duo's reaction had been a little excessive. He was pretty sure his Captain had been called worse things than _"queer"_ along the years. He wondered if there wasn't a little more to that story, especially when he had found a half naked _"besotted officer"_ tied up on Shinigami's bedroom floor that very morning. After all, as the saying goes: there's no smoke without fire.

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Camillian**: I'm glad you're still with us too and even more so that you like the direction I'm taking with this. Updates are slow as you can see but I'll try to work harder on it._

_To **Impish**: I loathed Quatre in the beginning because I didn't have the slightest idea how to write him. Now that I concentrated on his devilish side it is far easier and so much fun. In unrelated news, I am sorry to make you all wait so long for updates._

_To **Hikaru**: Bah don't worry that was just a remark in passing. I hope you'll find the wait for this uncommonly long chapter was worth it. Heero'll wake up next I promise. And yes Duo will cross-dress one more time but not for a while yet._

_To **Guess**: Healthy? I'm not too sure but on the bright side Duo learned how to duck and the resulting exercise can't be that bad. ;P I guess you'll be happy with this chapter as there is more Hilde/Duo interactions. _

_To **Carmelappl**e: Thank you very much for reviewing and welcome aboard. That is nice to know someone thinks I'm going somewhere with it because even I have sometimes trouble not to lose focus. I know what I want to write but I easily get distracted by my obsession with details and background. At least, with this newest chapter I think I managed to explain a little bit of the sketchy points. I'll see this story through. No fear._


	18. The Unending Day

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, cross-dressing, swearing, graphic violence, sex

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: A huge reward on his head, a crew who doesn't take him seriously, a few vindictive ex girlfriends and a vicious curse which sticks like a bad smell. The fearsome pirate Shinigami thinks it can't get worse. A stalkerish Heero will prove him wrong.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hello there! I wasn't all that motivated to write lately and I'm also translating all that is already written in French so my Big Sis' and Grandmother can read it. Perhaps the French version will interest some of you so you will be able to find it on my page... eventually. As for what I had promised for this new chapter, not everything's in it because it would have been too long. I'll try to not promise anything from now on just to be sure I don't screw up. But I swear that Heero really is waking up in the next part. :p

Chapter 18 : The Unending Day

Duo always had had a way to act out his feelings in an explosive fashion. To be blunt, he was quite the drama queen. So much so that a number of his past acquaintances had advised him time and again to go and make a living performing on a scene. That might even have been an option he would have chosen for himself if he hadn't been cursed with a warrior's heart. Regardless of his chosen fate, he never quite grew out of his taste for melodrama. Thus, an angry Duo was a formidable sight. When in such a state he didn't walk but soared, witnesses would have sworn his feet weren't touching the ground and would clear the way in real fear to have him swoop down upon them like the very Angel of Death. As with a distant awareness he was conscious that his present reaction was far too disproportionate to the most recent offence but he was still bent on disregarding all the weird feelings his tryst with the Navy Captain had awaken. And contemplating his "queerness" definitely would lead to having to rehash those. Anyway, anger was almost always productive where he was concerned. Often enough it was that very emotion that had carried him through difficult times and currently he could use all the help he could get: there was much to be done.

When he stalked on the disguised Deathscythe's deck, he took a short break to be privately awed at the short time in which he had made the journey from the Shipwreck. That must have been a new personal record. Dismissing his errant thoughts, he got back to work, barking orders around to those few unlucky ones to be on site to get the ship as ready as they could make him. He had to give a lecture to Gene ordering him to play nice with Dietrich's people who should be there shortly to deliver supplies and materials for last minute reparations. It wouldn't do to have the nasty old man bite their heads off because they had dared to come near his baby. After having seen Auda off to the market with a scathing comment about picking bug-free flour this time around, Duo gave a last look to the decks and swirled around to depart for his next errand.

His second stop was at Sally's clinic where he had to round up the rest of his crew. Hernan should be there. Wufei and Quatre would probably come too to say their goodbyes to those who were still bed-ridden and unable to sail with them. When he arrived, his friends were already there and it was a mad house. It appeared that Meiran had already been informed of their imminent departure and was none too pleased by the news. She and Wufei were engaged in a shouting match while Sally and Doc O tried valiantly to be heard over the already loud voices. Duo rapidly got the gist of the problem: it seemed that Meiran refused to be left behind while everyone else try to keep her in her bed. She looked lively enough in Duo's opinion but he also had seen sick people often enough to know that when motivated they could find hidden strength and that didn't mean that they were healed. If Meiran's growing pallor was any indication, she would crash soon and she would crash hard.

Throwing a cursory glance around the room, Duo noticed Quatre and Hernan standing aside with twin commiserated expressions that might have been believed but for the twinkle in their eyes. The Captain shrugged: one has to find entertainment wherever they can, and at least they weren't actively adding fuel to the fire which was something of a miracle for the two mischievous men. On the furthest bed Ahmad was lying with his eyes closed but the way he was grinding his teeth belied the possibility that he was asleep. Duo winced in sympathy: everyone was really loud and that was not an environment suited for recovery. However, the headache poor Ahmad was probably suffering from would most likely discourage him from any attempt to leave Sally's care anytime in the near future. That was someone less to worry about. Speaking of evasion, Duo could see someone sneaking about on the other side of the room. He waved at Howard who spared him a sheepish grin and went back to dressing himself with slow, careful movements. The Captain had no intention to hinder his oldest friend's plan. Of all of them, Howard had been the less sick and even had he been the worst off, he was more than old enough to make his own decisions. Meiran however was another thing entirely and Duo wouldn't hesitate to pull rank over her if she kept being stubborn.

Fortunately, it wasn't needed as the argument finally died down with the Chinese girl still in bed. Whether the others had gotten through her thick skull or whether she had realized by herself how fast she was tiring, the fight seemed to get out of her and she settled down peaceably. She still managed to throw a few jibes at Wufei regarding his inability to take care of himself if she wasn't around to pull his ass out of danger. Wufei scoffed but nobody missed the way he squeezed her hand in reassurance. Meiran got a pleased glow at the gesture which dimmed almost instantly when the young man left her side and gave much warmer goodbyes to Sally. All of a sudden, Duo wasn't so sure it was a good idea to leave the two head-strong women together. Who could say what mischief Meiran would come up with if she felt the Lady Doctor was a threat to her happiness? Especially when Duo believed that Sally would give as good as she got. Hopefully, they wouldn't be gone long enough for the two women to actually kill each other...

The old engineer was almost at the door already when Sally caught sight of him. She gathered her breath to scold him but, taking the time to give him a good look, noticed the determined gaze and serene smile. She simply sighed and hid her acknowledging nod by storming out through the nearest door. Meiran didn't protest either the blatant favouritism. There were things that even she wouldn't question and Howard's oath to never let Deathscythe sail away without him onboard was one of them. Whether he died in a fight or of a nasty bug, it would be by his rules and at sea.

Once they had the tacit approbation of both women, the five men didn't dilly dally and they were soon on board the Sandrock which would depart in a little over an hour. Duo spared a last thought to the Lady Doctor who had forgotten her other comatose patient in the panic. Whether the Captain Lowe decided to wake up or not, it would have to be without medical supervision.

---------

While his best friend was in the throes of passion and the depths of coma, Trowa had been keeping busy. He had had little trouble following the masked man; apparently, as long as he was no longer in Kushrenada's company, he didn't care if he was spotted. He seemed impatient however to put the most distance between them as soon as possible. The path they took looked to be completely straightforward as far as Trowa could tell within his admittedly limited knowledge of Port Royal and they were soon on the docks. The spy had to jump from the roofs he had travelled upon not to lose the man in the wide expanse of the bay. Fortunately, even at that hour, there was a lot of activity on the docks and the strolling sailors provided the perfect cover for a filature. Thus, Trowa easily followed his prey all the way to a ship moored a little out of the way. He was tempted to go up the gangway but devised it would be wiser to watch for a while before attempting such a daring move.

From the docks, Trowa observed a brief conversation in hushed whispers between the blond and another man that looked like any nondescript pirate. The two men separated soon enough and after a while a light came up at one of the windows. There was a play of shadows for fifteen minutes as if someone was moving around the cabin. In the end, the light was dimmed for a moment when curtains were drawn before being extinguished altogether. Obviously mystery-man had gone to bed and Trowa envied him the opportunity. As for himself, he stayed around a little longer just to be sure but there wasn't anything else happening. He took the time to inspect the ship's hull as well as he could in the relative darkness of a moonlit night and took note of the ship's name: the Epyon. Now he had a name to throw around; it was just late enough that lonely drunks should be eager to talk to anyone paying them the slightest attention...

He found the perfect victim in one of the seediest tavern he could find. The old Irish man who called himself Dog with unexplainable pride had obviously not had anyone lending him a sympathetic ear for quite some time. He told a sad tale of being unjustly sacked from his former employment on a merchant ship a few years prior. Trowa displayed the appropriate level of commiseration. Aside, he guessed that the broken sailor crying in his mug of rum must have started abusing alcohol while on his old job and that was likely why he had been tossed out on his ear in the first place. Regardless of any sincerity on the spy's side, the two men were soon "bestest" of friends and Trowa began his questioning while appearing to chat about random things.

It was somewhat fortunate that the Epyon and his crew were some sort of celebrities in Port Royal, as well as ones of his new friend's preferred subjects to bitch about. Trowa learned that ship and Captain had appeared out of nowhere three years ago and immediately started rampaging in random acts of piracy. It wasn't that rare that new players came out all of a sudden, nor even that they made a name for themselves real fast. What was odd in this instance was that the general pirate population had taken an instant dislike for the new-comer and that the contempt seemed to be mutual. Captain Zechs Merquise was "farting higher than his own asshole" according to Dog's colourful opinion. He treated everyone as so much dirt on his otherwise shiny boots. All sailors took exception to that because the source of his arrogance appeared to be not his navigation skills which pirates had learned to respect and praise in even the vilest of man, but his wealth and superior social standing. That was ridiculous as far as Dog was concerned because in Port Royal everyone was equal. The old Irish recounted various instances when people had openly mocked the snotty Captain about the ridiculous appearance of the Epyon. That got Trowa curious but Dog wouldn't say anything more on the subject, saying it was one of those things that must be seen to be believed.

The drunkard sobered a little when the discussion rolled around the Epyon's Second whom he called "The Bitch" in a fearful tone and while throwing a few cagey glances around. Apparently, the woman who seconded Merquise had managed to gather a little more respect than her Captain if for no other reason than because she was terrifying. Dog's recollection of her real name was sketchy at best: "something, French or Italian" was all he could remember. She was mostly known as "The Bitch" because the name fitted her so well and it was fine to use as long as she wasn't in earshot in which case you simply had to try to stay beneath her notice. Trowa thought he would probably like to meet this woman; she seemed to be his type.

After that, Dog seemed to fall asleep mid-sentence and the spy discounted the need to wake him up. He felt he had learned more than enough and the poor sod probably deserved a break from his pitiable existence. Trowa paid for both their drinks and exited the gloomy tavern for the docks. He was somehow disheartened to see the sun had well and truly risen while he was conducing his investigation. There was some time he hadn't put an all-nighter on the job. He spared a found thought to the bed that he might have enjoyed in the establishment their guide had suggested the previous day but knew it wasn't time yet for that. Before that, he wanted to see the Epyon in the light of day. He was really curious to know what Dog had meant by his derogatory comments. That couldn't be as bad as he said. On his way to the isolated anchorage, he asked a few passers-by if they knew when the Epyon was scheduled to sail. All of them gave him weird glances as if they were questioning his sanity and he noticed the barely suppressed shudder at each utterance of the ship's name. In the end he was reasonably sure that the frigate wouldn't leave the port for another few days.

When he finally caught his first good sight of the Epyon, he barely missed tripping on his own two feet which had never happened to him graceful as he usually was. He stared dumbstruck at the monstrosity for a good while: the sailors' shudders suddenly made a lot more sense. He was startled out of his daze by a passing prostitute who patted his shoulder in a comforting gesture. He tried to look at her and she chuckled at his unfocused eyes.

"New in town? Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Honey! That thing had had even the most hardened pirates weeping. I don't know what they were thinking when they did that to a ship. Quite a sight, eh?"

She shook her head almost sadly and went on her way. Trowa went back to his horrified contemplation not yet quite sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "A sight," indeed! That ship was the thing of nightmares. Someone had for some reason thought it would be a good idea to paint it entirely red. It might have been a plot to suggest the colour of blood but under the harsh sun of the Caribbean, the paint had turned a disgusting dark pink. Even the sails weren't spared the ignominy. Possibly even worse than this glaring lack of taste, the name Epyon was written in an embroidered script in a gaudy golden paint. Trowa didn't even have to come closer to guess it was actually real gold that had been used in this instance. That was really a fair assumption when one caught a glimpse of the figurehead which was a statue of a phoenix entirely made of gold. The bird was sculpted in excruciating details down to the three long tail's feathers which looked like three glistening chains. Such craftsmanship might have been commended in any other place but on a pirate's ship, it just looked stupid. Overall the word that came to mind was _"tacky"_ and Trowa was tempted to join the kind prostitute in pitying the poor ship which had been desecrated in such a way.

Suddenly, Trowa caught movement from the corner of his eye and he turned to see who had appeared on the deck. The first thing he noticed were the long blond hair and he first assumed it was Captain Merquise. Soon however, he realized his error: the figure was distinctively feminine and clad in the tightest leather outfit he had ever seen. Now what in the Seven Hells would Lady Dorothy Catalonia do amongst pirates? It seemed that he had been foresighted when he had met her on the Wing and wagered there was more to her then met the eye. It didn't take a genius to jump to the conclusion that the not so respectable Italian Lady and the infamous "Bitch" were one and the same. So Kushrenada wasn't just chum with a pirate, he also had family there and that blended even more in Trowa's eyes the hazy distinction there was between privateers and buccaneers. Nasty business indeed. Should he find nothing else of interest, he was sure that Sank's higher-ups would be interested by that bit of news.

Satisfied for now with his findings, the spy patted himself on the back and went on his way to the inn where he intended to rest... at last. He was hoping that he would find Heero there. The man had to have given up on his own surveillance at some point. As soon as he arrived at the little inn which had come so well recommended, he found a room with no difficulties and for a fair price. He finally fell in bed and was out like a light put at ease by the innkeeper's reassurance that someone would be sent to wake him up mid-afternoon. Little did he know that the mouse-like maid put in charge of that simple task would be far too timid to enter his room and would be thinking her discrete knock on the door enough to raise a man as tired as he was.

He woke by himself around five o'clock and decided that given it was already appallingly late, he could as well take the time to have a healthy dinner and a good long soak to erase the grime of the previous days. He had slept well, truly appreciative of the unmoving bed after having spent quite a few nights aboard a ship. But no matter how rested he was and how pleased with himself he had been when getting to bed, now that he was awake he had a nagging feeling blossoming somewhere in his guts he couldn't quite place.

When questioned, the innkeeper said there was no one in the establishment answering to the name of Heero Yuy, nor a Captain Lowe, nor any combination thereof. Trowa shouldn't have been surprised; he knew his friend well enough to guess that the possibility that Heero would have the common sense to interrupt his guard for a rest had been wishful thinking on his part. Of course, the Captain Lowe wouldn't have abandoned his position, it would have felt like desertion for such a man, never mind that he had been the one to assign himself the task. Trowa feared that the fool wouldn't even have stopped to eat and he felt a tad guilty for the dinner he had promised him and never brought. Resolute to make amends, he sneaked his way in the kitchens and charmed all of Heero's favourites and a picnic basket from the matron who operated there.

All in all it was not far from seven when he arrived at the docks. He was quite put off to find an empty spot where he had last seen his friend. However, there might have been some sort of explanation for his absence and he started to worry only once he noticed the Sandrock too was missing. Where in the Hell did that ship went? And more important, could someone tell him that Heero hadn't been so rash as to stowaway. That didn't look like something Heero would do, especially not without informing him but yet again, many of the things Heero had done lately were every bit as much out of character...

Lost in his thoughts, it took some time before he noticed a bundle of cloth caught in a mooring bitt which the gentle surf was rocking slowly. Following a hunch, he rapidly calculated the distance between the edge of the docks and the wooden protrusion. There was a reasonable chance that the bitt would be slippery but the worse that could happen would be that he would fell in the water: unpleasant yes, but hardly life threatening. Shrugging, he took some momentum, ran up till the very edge and executed a somersault that landed him square on the bitt which held out. It wasn't too bad given the circumstances and his lack of recent training. Somewhere in Europe where she was still running with the circus, his sister Catherine would have been proud of him. Lowering himself until he was seated gracefully on the wooden log, he bent and extended his arm to grab the bundle of cloth. He had to pull with a little more strength because it was stuck but managed to pick it up in the end. Once he had it in his lap, he saw it was a sheet bunched up around some other pieces of cloth. Looking closer, he saw the blood first, quite a bit of it too. There was a big white garment that might have been used by a man to sleep in. Finally, he found the shirt at the middle of the package, even more drenched in blood than the sheet and the night shirt had been. With growing dread, he recognized the garment Heero had worn when they left the Wing. What had the fool done now?

In a daze, Trowa managed nonetheless to retrace his way to the dock in much the same way he had come to the bitt even if the manoeuvre was harder without momentum and he began to explore his options. They weren't many. His best friend had been taken by the most fearsome Captain pirate ever, he was injured, possibly dead and the only back-up he had was stuck in Port Royal where he knew nobody who could help.

"Well... maybe not nobody," he amended while catching sight of the pink ship at the other end of the bay. But really, would it be the smart move that to enlist Kushrenada's help or that of his poisonous cousin? He could also hike back to Villa de La Vega and go from there to ask the Captain Lowe's crew for help. It wasn't yet a desperate situation when he still had more than one option. But was there really time to dawdle? Hiking would take another day and his friend's days might very well be numbered... if he was still even alive...

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_Answer to Reviewers:_

_To **Carmelapple**: Sorry for being so long with the updates. I'm glad you like the story anyway and even more that you appreciate the details._

_To **Impish**: Yes, as much as Duo thinks he's all mysterious, there are quite a few people that know him really well. It will be interesting to know what of his secrets are really well... secret. Those people will probably give Duo much grief in the future and as for Heero, I'd wager that the poor man will feel like he's in a mad house._

_To **Guess**: I have no right to speak about being late in updating because I am sorely lacking in this instance. I am glad to see I'm not the only Guybrush fan out there: there will never be enough of us. :p_

_To **Eve**: I'm very happy that you're enjoying yourself and yes I promise more 1x2 in the near future and apologize for getting you lost in so much subplot. The updates are coming in incredibly so but they won't ever stop altogether, that I swear. _


	19. The Tea Party

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, cross-dressing, swearing, graphic violence, sex

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: A huge reward on his head, a crew who doesn't take him seriously, a few vindictive ex girlfriends and a vicious curse which sticks like a bad smell. The fearsome pirate Shinigami thinks it can't get worse. A stalkerish Heero will prove him wrong.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: First of all, I wanted to thank profusely Amara, one of my beloved readers on who gave me the idea of the "tea party." Now I hope everyone will like the long-awaited scene of Heero's awakening. And there will be no cookie points for those who catch my silent homage to another fandom this time. It is far too easy to spot. ;P

Chapter 19 : The Tea Party

The Captain Lowe stirred shortly before sunset. His thoughts were hazy but he retained enough common sense to hide his newly awaken state after those first instinctive movements. He had a killer headache. He had awoken often enough in such a state that he could even guess its likely cause even if he had troubles remembering what he had been doing prior to falling unconscious. He was pretty sure he hadn't been drinking because alcohol-induced headaches had a decidedly different feel to them, moreover he wasn't feeling sick to his stomach and there wasn't the tell-tale disgusting aftertaste in his mouth. No, the kind of headache he was presently suffering from was familiar in a very different way. He felt remarkably like someone had beaten the crap out of him...

He remembered feeling like that when his Grandfather had overdone it with the beatings he had been so fond of. If he extended his awareness in every part of his body he could even feel the exact source of his throbbing headache. There was a wound on his head and something that felt like stitches. That was reminiscent of a particular event during his formative years at the hands of the Colonel. When he had been fourteen, a lack of progress in his lessons in etiquette had landed him in a similar state. It was probably funny, in an ironic kind of way, that during all his education he had received much more injuries from his etiquette lessons than from the fencing ones. Where the facts didn't seem to add up was that his grandfather hadn't beaten him nor had him beaten up for a few years now. He hadn't had any reason to as his little soldier had learned his lesson and was always doing as ordered nowadays. And would Heero had needed punishment for whatever imagined offence, the Colonel had gotten much subtler. So the question remained: who if not his grandfather had tried to bash his skull in?

The pain he was in wasn't really conducive to deep thinking but he couldn't either leave such a blank in his memory. Calming his thoughts with the practised ease of long habit, he tried to recall the last thing he remembered. Once he was acting reasonably again, it was easy. He remembered meeting Helen at the Palace, than encountering Shinigami. His days of chasing after the Sandrock came back bright, clear and every bit as frantic as they had been. Then he saw Port Royal as she looked like when he caught his first glimpse of her convoluted streets. From there on, the rest came in rapid flashes: Trowa leaving to get dinner, sneaking aboard the Sandrock's, Helen's tantalizing flesh and... Once there, he had to consciously swallow a heavy groan as the last thing he remembered was an especially passionate embrace shared with Helen. His penis made a sympathetic twinge at the sweet memory...

Huh? There was something not quite right there...

Ah yes, that was that! Helen didn't exist. She was an illusion and if he thought about it, there had been an answering hardness against his erection. Helen was a man, a pirate even...

Oh Gods! Had he really rutted against Shinigami like a beast in heat?

He didn't know how he had gotten from the most fantastic orgasm of his life to his present ailment but if he was allowed to venture a guess, he would say Duo had probably clobbered him and he couldn't really blame the guy. He hazily remembered the body struggling under him and the way he himself had ignored the protests. He couldn't believe he had forced himself on someone, on anyone. He felt like a monster. He was definitely feeling sick now. The groan he had to suppress this time was one of disgust.

He was interrupted in his self-flagellating by someone clearing their throat. He had to force himself not to jump; he couldn't believe he hadn't even felt someone's presence so near him. It was logical now that he was thinking about it that they hadn't left alone such a dangerous individual, especially when he couldn't feel any bounds restricting his movements... That could be explained by his captors --whoever they were-- trying to go easy on an injured person. He didn't think he deserved such kindness and kindness alone didn't explain the feather bed on which he was lying. If he was as he thought in Shinigami's custody, it would have made more sense for him to have been thrown in the hold. In spite of the training that told him he should probably feign sleep a little longer, he was also tempted to throw a glance at the person that was watching over him. He still nursed the silly hope that it would be Helen Winner... Duo Maxwell... Anyway, whichever name he gave the beautiful creature, he knew that hoping they would willingly get near someone as disgusting as himself was wishful thinking.

"You know, I can tell you're not asleep anymore. There's no need to pretend."

Well... not Helen than. The voice was distinctively male but not Shinigami's either. As they wasn't any point to continue the charade while his audience had caught on, he opened his eyes and turned his head to see the person who had been appointed his nursemaid...

Maybe he was dead finally, because the face that welcomed him couldn't belong to anyone but an angel. That was strange. He had always thought that should there be anything beyond death, he would go to Hell rather than Heaven. Yet, that young man couldn't be anything else than an angel with those delicate features, that pale skin, those golden locks falling artistically on the brow and those blue-green eyes twinkling mischievously...

Wait a second! He was fairly sure angels weren't supposed to get up to mischief, so the man was probably no angel. As if he could read his thoughts, the blond gave him a positively wicked grin.

"Hello there Captain! The head must be killing you. I have a painkilling draught here that should take the edge off. It tastes pretty bad though but I made tea to chase the aftertaste. Do you want some?"

Heero feared he looked kind of dumb staring at the man as if he had suddenly sprouted horns but the other didn't comment on it and waited patiently for his answer. In the end, the Captain shook himself out of the feeling of surrealism he was experiencing and tried to sit up. His head throbbed and he was grateful when the man came to his aid, fluffing his pillows and helping him to settle against them. He felt less vulnerable in a sitting position but he was still wary of the other man which wasn't acting as he would have expected of his jailer. He decided that the safest course of action right know was to play along.

"Thank you. I'd appreciate this medication you're speaking of and a cup of tea would be nice too."

"Marvellous!"

He was handed a vial of the promised draught which tasted as bad as he'd been warned. He was surprised at how trusting he was being: he didn't make a habit of drinking unknown beverages given to him by strangers. Oddly, that didn't bother him in more than a passing thought. He rationalized that if they had wanted him dead they could very well have finished him off while he was sill unconscious and they wouldn't have treated his wounds either.

Heero watched the blond pour the tea with precise gestures. There was an economy of movement and an elegance that bespoke of a refined education. That man must have come from money or, like Heero, have learned the customs of the wealthier crowd at some point. Two spoons of sugar were added in the cup obviously destined to Heero and he didn't have the heart to mention his dislike of all sweet things. That particular sweetness and the floral tea --jasmine if his nose wasn't deceiving him-- might just be the thing to get rid of the sour aftertaste of the draught that was still lingering.

"There is no milk, I'm sorry. It spoils too fast so we got out of the habit of purchasing any."

The blond looked apologetic and for just a moment, Heero was afraid he was going to burst in tears. He hurried to take his cup and advertised as much pleasure on his usually stern features as he could manage to cheer the blond up.

"That's quite alright. I'm also used to get by without."

"We tried to keep a goat on board for a while. It was brilliant. We would have fresh milk anytime we wanted, but the Captain let her go. She was quite young and he feared for her virtue. You know how men can get frisky when they stay too long onboard without a way to relieve their frustrations..."

Heero choked on his tea. He couldn't believe the delicate mouth had just brought up such a crass topic of conversation, especially as out of the blue as it appeared. Either the blond was really naive or it was part of a weird plot to unsettle him. When he finally got his gag reflex under control, Heero caught the falsely innocent expression on his interlocutor's baby face and the annoying twinkle in his blue eyes: it was definitely some sort of plot. However, he wasn't yet ruling out the possibility that he was still unconscious and having a very disturbing dream.

When the Captain displayed no further reaction than his first sputtering spell, the other nodded as to himself and quelled his previous cheerfulness. It was in the sternest of voices that he delivered his next speech.

"I am Quatre Raberba Winner, Second to Shinigami whose "_guest_" you presently are. We know who you are but are rather curious as to why and how you found yourself onboard the Sandrock. You've been treated fairly well as of now --well except for that blow to your head, but I have a feeling that wasn't entirely undeserved either-- and there is no reason that should change as long as you're answering our questions... and behaving of course. That's my cabin you're staying in for now and you'll be locked inside for the time being. Should you be tempted to go through my stuff, you'll be disappointed to know the room has been emptied of everything that could be used as a weapon so I'd appreciate if you would refrain."

There was a pointed look accompanying that last remark and Heero nodded his understanding. He was in no position to risk angering his captors. Quatre was right in pointing that he had been treated with unhoped-for consideration. The Captain had also noticed the twin curved swords that had been in the blond's reach all along. Regardless of his harmless appearance, Heero suspected that he would be more than capable to use them should the stowaway try anything. After all if he had been sent in alone to negotiate with the prisoner, it must mean that the rest of the crew had complete faith in his ability to defend himself. That was a moot point anyway as Heero wasn't convinced that he was yet well enough not to pass out or do something equally as humiliating should he try to get free. And now that he was thinking about it, he had the sinking suspicion that the slow rocking he had been feeling since he woke up, was not caused by his headache but because they were now at sea. There wasn't much point to escape the cabin if they weren't even in port anymore. And wasn't it just a terrific situation? He didn't even want to imagine what Trowa's reaction would be when he would realize his friend was nowhere to be found. Speaking of which:

"Mister Winner, if I may, I believe you're acquainted with my friend Trowa Barton?"

Quatre took on a thoughtful expression but didn't appear to take offence of being questioned when he hadn't yet been offered any answers himself.

"So that **was** him with you in Sank! I thought so..."

Something ugly briefly passed on the fair features, but the young man almost immediately cooled them in something more neutral and only the shadow of an old hurt stayed in his eyes.

"I'm surprised still to hear him mentioned as being anyone's friend. If I can give you some piece of advice Captain, it would be to never turn your back to him. He's never been deserving of anyone's trust..."

Heero scoffed. He was sorely tempted to correct the man. For all that he was not a trusting soul, the Captain trusted Trowa without reserve. In his eyes, his friend had more than earned it along the years and had never given him any reason to doubt him. However, Heero knew it was not in his best interest to antagonize Shinigami's Second. There was also a chance he could learn more if he kept his mouth shut. He had much practice at that after all, so that shouldn't be all that hard to do.

"So what did you say you were doing here?"

Heero hadn't said anything of course but they both knew it and that wasn't really the point anyway. What the question really meant was: what are you willing to say? Heero was surprised to realize it was in fact quite a lot. That didn't mean he would tell it all in one breath evidently; that would have been poor strategy when he himself wanted to learn all that he could about Shinigami and his strange crew. This Quatre Winner for example seemed like and interesting fellow and most people would be surprised to know how much you can learn about a person just by hearing the questions they asked.

"I followed your ship from Sank."

Quatre's eyes gleamed with amusement. Obviously, there was something real funny in what the Captain Lowe had just said. He had no clue what it could be. Where he was concerned, he had told the truth if somewhat embellished. He couldn't really confess he had lost the brigantine from the start and had needed to be pointed in the right direction by Treize Kushrenada's cousin, could he? But despite his silence, it was like Quatre knew all the same... somehow. What Heero didn't realize of course was that it would have been impossible for him to follow the Sandrock seeing that the ship hadn't even existed for most of the journey between Sank and Port Royal. Quatre smiled in an infuriating way but didn't called him on his bluff.

"I see. Why? Why did you follow us?"

"I had some things to discuss with Shinigami."

"Oh? And what could that be?"

"That's between him and me. I have some... quarrel with him."

Quatre regarded him with an alarmingly increasing coldness. There was something in Heero's words that he didn't like.

"So that would be why I found you in his cabin. What did you try to do to him?"

Heero didn't blush but it was a close call. He swallowed and avoided the clever gaze of his questioner instead. He would certainly not explain to this man what he had done to his Captain the previous night. Because even now that he remembered there had definitely been an answering erection in their maddening coupling, it had still been an untoward act on his part. He also doubted Shinigami would want for his second to know that he had submitted sexually to another man, let alone to one which they no doubt considered an enemy. Somehow, Heero knew that it wasn't something Duo Maxwell did on a regular basis and that he'd want it kept quiet.

As Heero was avoiding looking at Quatre, he completely missed the mounting fury. His guilty silence had been taken as a confession that he had tried to harm Duo. "Allah forgive me, but if you hurt him I'll..."

The Captain startled at the misunderstanding and interrupted him urgently. "I didn't! That's not how I meant it. I am sure he is perfectly fine and if you will, _**I** _am the one presently suffering from injuries **_he_** inflicted."

The blond stared at him as if he could see through him to his very core, but he appeared to settle down in the end and let out a relieved sigh. That might just be the interesting piece Heero should remember about Quatre's interrogation: there was an obvious concern and deep loyalty for his Captain in that young man. The soldier wasn't all that surprised. He had a feeling Shinigami was the kind of man to inspire such feelings in his subordinates. You just had to see what emotions he had managed to stir up in his own previously cold heart...

The Second was still staring at him but he wasn't glaring anymore and he had on a thoughtful expression that surely didn't bode well for Heero's peace of mind. It was with a grin that sent shudders up the Captain Lowe's back that he asked:

"So, if you didn't try to hurt him... I'm curious to know what would you and Duo could have been up to in the middle of the night that would have been leading to you laying half-naked and tied up on the floor of his cabin...?"

This time a little blood came up to Heero's cheeks and he bit his lips just to be sure he wouldn't blurt something stupid; it was a distinct possibility seeing how irrationally he was behaving as of late. He could feel Quatre's inquisitive gaze fixed on him, unwavering. Barring the floor suddenly opening up and mercifully swallowing him whole, he was in it for a very awkward conversation. And what was it with this man that made you want to spill your guts even while you well had to know better?

Salvation came for Heero with the door suddenly banging open and three men barging in in various states of anger. The cabin appeared to shrink to half the size with the new arrivals cluttering it. The first to talk was a giant with dark skin, darker hair and a worried expression.

"Master Quatre! Are you alright? What came over you to come up here all alone?"

The end of that sentence was almost entirely drowned out by another voice, equally as furious and coming this time from an old man wearing an eye-patch and a shirt in the most horrid fuchsia and adorned with embroidered palm-trees.

"Quatre Raberba Winner! I expect those kind of stunts from Duo, not from you. We don't know what that man is capable of. What will you do if he wakes up and attack..."

Howard's voice trailed of as he and the others took stock of the situation, noticing with incredulity that their prisoner was effectively up and about, and of all things... nursing a cup of tea. He looked bewildered at their sudden irruption. As for Quatre, his innocent expression was belied by the way his teasing smile was challenging their three visitors.

The only one who had yet to speak was the Chinese man that Heero recognized from the market place in Sank. His golden skin had darkened to an unattractive shade of red and he was trembling with rage. He struck an accusing glare at the still unfazed Prince and thundered:

"You're having a tea party with the prisoner! Are you fucking insane? Do you even remember that you're a pirate?"

Quatre offered him a bland smile and answered with perfectly studied haughtiness: "That's not because we're pirates that we should forget our manners."

He then turned back to the bed where Heero was still frozen with his cup of tea half-way to his mouth, as if the others were not even there. He plucked a little bowl from the serving tray and waved it in front of the stowaway with a bright smile and his blue eyes twinkling more than ever.

"Lemon drop?"

The Captain Lowe glanced at the offered candies and shook his head with a dazed expression. Quatre shrugged and took one that he gobbled with obvious bliss, eyes half-closed, ostensibly ignoring Wufei who was still spluttering behind him.

"Could someone explain to His Majesty the difference between a guest and a prisoner?"

Suddenly he turned toward the door and continued his rant apparently addressing it this time to someone who was staying out of view, hidden by Rashid's imposing stature.

"That's all your fault you know. You give such a shitty example of what is acceptable behaviour on this ship that nobody knows how to act anymore. And I would bet that your special brand of insanity is catching."

Heero was pleased to see the great Shinigami himself appeared from behind the immense Arab with an indignant expression which, he remarked in passing, suited his elfin features well. It was like all his face was alit by an inner fire. He was almost glowing and the Captain Lowe found himself unable to look away. To his eternal shame he actually sighed out loud and from the corner of his eye he could see Quatre smirking knowingly. Wonderful! Knowing that you were foolishly besotted with another man was humiliating enough on its own, but having it known by a third party was downright insulting.

Meanwhile, Shinigami was defending himself with fiery passion against the Chinese's slander. "Since when is it considered my fault that Quatre couldn't behave like a pirate to save his life? I certainly didn't ask him to bring tea to Heero... hm... that is... to the prisoner."

Duo covered his blunder with a scowl that clearly stated that everyone should know better than to comment about his use of the stowaway's first name. Howard merely arched a brow while Rashid looked puzzled. Quatre smiled gleefully. Heero himself actually preened. Wufei alone stayed oblivious to anything but his continuing lecture.

"It is **your** fault because if you hadn't let someone sneak into **your** cabin in the first place, there would be no _"guest"_ for Quatre to serve tea to. Moreover, you know that man and you obviously did something unspeakable to him while we were in Sank," Wufei was pointing to the now smirking Heero while going on with his tirade, still oblivious to the undercurrent of the conversation, "or he wouldn't have followed us all the way to Port Royal. Therefore he is **your** problem."

"For God's sake, I didn't do anything with the bloke!" Duo stopped a moment to think over what he had just said, looked abashed and corrected with mounting frustration: "to him... I didn't do anything **to** him!"

Quatre actually snickered. That earned him a brief glare from his Captain, but he made a show of his innocence by bending over the serving tray and picking another lemon drop.

"Well, what other reason would he have to follow you across half the Caribbean? It's not like Hilde's right and he's been stalking you because he wants a piece of your ass; you're not a girl after all."

Heero questioned his motives for an instant and concluded that Wufei wasn't that far off mark. Such uncouth display of his baser instincts should probably have put the fear of God in him. Alas he wasn't much of a religious man and there were more important things to consider right now... like wondering if the bead of sweat presently gliding along Duo's chiselled cheek would fall on the ground or continue its erotic journey down that gorgeous throat... He had also noticed that the unexpected object of his unsuspected desires was throwing glances in his direction with increasing frequency. He hoped that was a good sign and regardless, appreciated the lovely blush each new glance seemed to put on the fair skin. He smiled back at him, unmindful of the strain it put on little used muscles.

Quatre hadn't been able to resist long to the evening's entertainment and had abandoned the candies in favour of observing the events. The vague suspicion he had had in Hilde's office was taking form before his very eyes. There was definitely something up between Duo and the dashing Navy officer. 'Allah help us', he thought, because there wasn't ever anything simple regarding Shinigami's affairs and he could already envisioned the shit load of troubles that would come of this one...

He looked at his bravest bodyguard and saw only incomprehension on the harsh features, but he noticed that Howard at least had caught on. He wasn't surprised. The old man had always been clever and for one who had known Duo as long as Quatre suspected he had, the evidence was damning. The buoyant engineer didn't looked angered at least nor disappointed, more like a little shocked and decidedly bemused. He also looked tired and Quatre remembered he had been very sick not so long ago and was by no mean cured yet. He should probably be in bed and not wasting his waning strength looking after irresponsible children.

Meanwhile, Duo was still arguing with Wufei. He was unfortunately aware that he was nowhere near as convincing as usual. It was all the fault of that damn man! That damn man and his damn blue eyes watching him hungrily like he was a five course meal and Heero was starving. Seeing that ravenous hunger, he couldn't help but remember the intensity of the previous night. That's why he was running at the mouth and letting Wufei dress him down with such pathetic ease. He hadn't even heard one word of what his friend was saying after the "piece of ass" comment: strange how selective one's hearing can be.

"Dammit! Could someone give our guest a shirt?!" Duo had distinctly identified his own voice shouting something over Wufei's annoying rant, but he couldn't for the life of him guess what it had been. Nothing good if the stunned silence was anything to go by.

"What does the state of dress of the **_prisoner_** have to do with anything?"

Oh! So that's what he said. Well that was true that that bare torso was distracting. It was a perfectly reasonable request. Really, there was no reason why Howard and Quatre should be laughing so hard, nor for Rashid and Wufei to look at him like he had grown another head. And what was the handsome bastard doing now? Was he smirking? Surely not! He wouldn't have the audacity. There was defiance and a promise in the man's low tone when he finally spoke:

"Are you troubled by the sight of a half-naked man Duo? I'm sure the world would be interested to know that Shinigami has a weakness for bare flesh."

The nasal voice had gone positively sultry and Duo felt the weight of those eyes with as much clarity as if they had been caressing him. Heero had just made a tactical error however; he had reminded of Duo of who he was. He was Shinigami and he had a responsibility to his crew. He couldn't allow himself such distractions as which those eyes were hinting at. He was a pirate and not an helpless maiden easily seduced by a passing uniform. Duo straightened his stance and stood with all of his unimpressive height. That was enough for anyone to know that Shinigami was back and that there would be no further nonsense for the time being. Even Heero's smile dimmed. He realized he might have pushed his luck and he knew he shouldn't antagonize his captor.

Shinigami looked at each of his crewmembers in turn and noticed how their attitude changed immediately. They always knew the moment when he assumed command and they had learned not to get in his way... for the most part anyway: Wufei still had trouble to see reason at times.

"Good."

Duo noticed all the excitement had taken its toll on Howard. He nodded to himself and gestured to Rashid.

"Howard doesn't look too good. Take him to his cabin and see to it that Gene leaves his experiments long enough to sort out the medicine Sally gave us."

The giant nodded and took Howard's arm to guide him out of the cabin, ignoring the old man's token protests. Shinigami turned his attention to Wufei and frowned. He was obviously not pleased with the young man's latest show of temper.

"Chang! I am perfectly aware that I have my faults. Everyone has them. You also know how lenient I can be and that I encourage everyone to speak their minds. What I won't tolerate however, is disrespect. I'd like you to remember that I am your Captain and that as long as you choose to stay on this ship, you'll obey my orders and rein in that mutinous attitude of yours. As far as I'm concerned, that was your last fair warning; next time there'll be sanctions. Are we clear?"

Wufei, oddly enough, looked appropriately chastised. He knew that he had gone too far, yet again and was willing to make amends anyway his Captain would deem fit. For all his goofing around, he knew that Shinigami was a great Captain and possibly an even greatest man and he really shouldn't let his temper get the better of him. He stood at attention before Duo's scrutiny, his onyx eyes never wavering from their unusually open and honest gaze. Once Shinigami was satisfied, his features relaxed and he offered a small forgiving smile to Wufei.

"Now I think that we left Hernan in charge of the helm. If you recall he always has trouble remembering in which direction the red tip of a compass is supposed to point. It would be probably be best that you go and relieve him of this perilous task."

Wufei looked briefly scandalized at the mere thought of the plump Spanish anywhere near the helm and dashed out of the room. Duo sighed and gathered his strength for his last and worst tasks. When his eyes fell on Quatre and Heero, he was surprised to find both men silent and looking meek. Well... it was nice that something was finally going his way.

"Quatre, I know that you probably had the best intentions but Wufei was right that someone who sneak on Deathscythe is no friend of ours no matter his reasons. Seeing that you can't apparently curb your nurturing tendencies, I find it's safest that you don't come near this cabin for the foreseeable future."

"But Duo..."

"Silence! That is not open for discussion Quatre. The man doesn't look like he's about to drop dead and therefore has no need for a nursemaid. As for you, you'll stay in Meiran's cabin until further orders. Is that understood?"

"Yes Captain, it is." Quatre spared an apologetic glance to Heero and left the cabin sulking like any scolded child.

The Captain Lowe didn't know how to feel about being left alone with Shinigami. On one hand, it might be the opportunity he had been waiting for since he had awakened in an unfamiliar bed, but on the other, he had been impressed by the pirate's show of authority. There was nothing left of his sweet Helen, nor even of the passionate imp of the previous night in the formidable man now staring down at him. He wasn't exactly afraid but he knew it would be unwise to provoke him. He would have felt better if he could at least stand, it was really unsettling to have him looming over him like that.

"Now, Captain Lowe I'd like to make it clear to you too that you are a prisoner on this ship. Nothing more. I don't have the time to deal with you at the moment so all I ask is that you stay here for now and behave."

Without further ado, Duo went for the exit. He was interrupted by Heero's daring voice.

"So I guess we won't be talking about last night then?"

The Captain Lowe didn't know where that had come from. He wasn't usually one for smartass comments. His grandfather would be appalled. It was too late however to swallow back his question and he put a falsely confident smirk on his face, ready for the predictably violent reaction. Shinigami stopped and swirled around.

"Don't push me Heero, you won't like me when I'm angry. There's nothing to say that the next time I hit you I will stop at one mere blow to the head. And if you talk about last night to anyone on this ship you'll find yourself thrown overboard in less time you need to say _'sorry'_."

"I wouldn't have pegged the great Shinigami for an hypocrite. I rather recall I wasn't the only one reacting to our little encounter. So aren't you a bit petty to take it out on me?"

Duo's glare was positively frosty and Heero had to repress a shudder. He regretted the fiery passion of earlier.

"Yes I am. Petty, hypocrite and every other nasty adjectives you can think of. You better remember that in the future."

This time when he turned to the door he had obviously no intention to stop for anything. He still heard Heero's parting comment.

"Not every nasty adjectives. There is certainly no part of you that could be said to be ugly... I checked."

The door slammed with a loud bang and Heero could hear the sound of a lock falling in place, but he had managed to catch a glimpse of Duo's crimson face so he just laughed. The game was far from over and Heero had no intention to lose...

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Aryam**: Ah! I'm glad my convoluted explanations weren't for naught and delighted to know you appreciate my flamboyant if irritable Shinigami. You also deserve a cookie because you're the first to catch one of the numerous hints I gave regarding Duo's age. That said, I won't say anymore and leave you to your speculations. 1x2 coming. _

_To **Carmelapple**: Well yeah I'm not the most motivated of people but I'm working on it. As for Heero, I hope you'll think it was worth waiting for. The Epyon was one of my pet projects: I swear that that mobile suit was pink in the anime._

_To **Eve**: Happy to please and... look there's already another one. I'm on a roll, let's hope it's not just a fluke._


	20. The Fairies' Wings

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, cross-dressing, swearing, graphic violence, sex

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: A huge reward on his head, a crew who doesn't take him seriously, a few vindictive ex girlfriends and a vicious curse which sticks like a bad smell. The fearsome pirate Shinigami thinks it can't get worse. A stalkerish Heero will prove him wrong.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: My laptop died, may it rest in peace, and my hubby finally gave me my very own home computer. Problem is: the former had an AZERTY keyboard while the new one is a QWERTY and that sucks. I can get used to one or the other reasonably fast but the problem is that I'm not only writing in English but also translating in French lately. So I had to do a well-known manip to pass from one keyboard to the other numerous times this past week and that put a serious cramp in my style. I must write at half the speed I'm used to... I hate technology.

On a more pleasant note, I finally came around to display the fanarts that nice readers gave me for this fic. There's not much yet but it's nice enough. So go check out the gallery on my lj-page, which you can find on my profile by clicking on homepage.

Chapter 20 : The Fairies' Wings

Heero felt like pacing. Of course, he wasn't dumb enough to actually do it. He knew that head injuries could be pretty serious and given that his headache had yet to disappear entirely, there still was a good chance that he would fall on his ass if he tried to stand, let alone walk. He wasn't much of a pacer either; usually he could do all his thinking while staying perfectly still. But there wasn't much that was usual, nor even anywhere approaching normal, with his behaviour since a delicious imp had burst into his life.

The scariest thing wasn't even that he didn't recognize himself anymore, but that he kind of liked the new him better than the old one. He had sincerely believed that the Colonel Lowe and his special brand of loving had bred all the rebellion out of him. The Colonel thought so too. They had both been grossly mistaken. He remembered that at some point he had chosen the path of least resistance and thought that it wasn't worth it to continue fighting his grandfather when all he got for his efforts was more misery. Yet, now he was wondering if it wasn't worth it after all. All the things he had done these past few weeks would have gotten him utter disapprobation from the Colonel and before meeting a certain long-haired pirate, he would have considered that a bad thing. He had obviously underestimated the enjoyment factor. Misbehaving was... fun. And wasn't it simply appalling that he had had to come to the venerable age of twenty-seven to finally understand what having _"fun"_ was all about?

It was also true that being toyed with by a famous pirate, going on a wild-goose chase, being knocked unconscious, then abducted and imprisoned shouldn't be considered like fun. However, as previously established, the concept of _"fun"_ was a new one for him so what did he know? Maybe it was what it was all about. He also had a reasonably reasonable conviction that no one had the right to contest what was making anyone tick. If ridicule, panic, stress, pain and incarceration were his things then so be it. Nobody should judge him on that. Matters of taste shouldn't be discussed and he had every right to be weird. It was maybe even a logical product of the way he had been raised that he should be so weird now. So there! _"Dear Grandpa"_ could go fuck himself with all his righteousness and self-importance: that was all his fault anyway.

So, now that it was established that he was a weirdo, that it wasn't all that dramatic and most likely not his fault, he could contemplate the far reaches of his weirdness. He was attracted to men. Well no, not really. He was pretty sure Trowa's musculature didn't do it for him. He thought fast about all the men that could be considered handsome that he knew of: Treize Kushrenada, Quatre Winner, the insane Chinese even, and really no, not a single twinge in his nether regions. So okay maybe not attracted to men, but definitely to one man; because there wasn't any question that Duo Maxwell _did_ turn him on.

There wasn't any question that he was definitely a man either. Even if it was his feminine disguise that had first piqued Heero's interest, the Captain Lowe was man enough to admit that the man under the dress was equally as interesting, perhaps even more so. It was Duo he had been teasing earlier, Duo again he had made silent promises to and it was even Shinigami he had found so dangerously exciting. Not Helen. It might not have been Helen for a long time. The blinders had just taken a little time to come off.

If he was honest with himself, he could even confess that the little show of last night had been all Duo and nothing Helen either; because if the face had been softened by cleverly applied make-up when he first met him at the Palace, that hadn't been the case last night. Duo's features might be delicate in some ways but they were indubitably male and still more beautiful than everything Heero had ever seen. The way his eyes had feasted upon that body was even more proof: there again, there had been nothing female in the lean but sculpted muscles, in the narrowness of the hips balanced cockily even in the privacy of Shinigami's cabin. And... well, he remembered staring at Duo's virility and getting harder instead of disgusted so you couldn't really get more obvious than that.

Someone would argue that the impossibly long hair gave the illusion of femininity to the whole but that was bullshit. Heero thought that Shinigami wore these magnificent tresses with an aggressive and strangely virile arrogance --whatever that meant.

Yeah, the distinguished and boring Captain Lowe was attracted to a male pirate and that made him even weirder than he always suspected he was. On the other hand that could have been worse. He could have been attracted to children, corpses or animals; that would have been an altogether different level of weird. Speaking about fucking animals made him think about Shinigami's Second. No! Not like that, at least he hoped not. That just reminded him of the man's tasteless joke about goats and so he recalled his conversation with Quatre. He remembered in particular the way the blond had watched him and Duo like he could see their attraction and was... amused, not disgusted...

So maybe Heero wasn't all that weird in the end. Maybe guys being attracted to one another were only weird in Heero's world and not in this new and intriguing one he had stepped in a few weeks ago. Case in point: all Shinigami's crewmembers he had met until now looked weird to him. They would have clashed in the Captain Lowe's ordered world but here they just seemed to... fit in.

After all he wasn't as naive as Trowa and his grandfather would have him believe. Well okay, he wasn't either the most observant of men but sometimes he caught on his fellow human beings' behaviour when it was sufficiently --hear glaringly-- obvious and so he knew that it happened that two males chose to relieve stress together when they were apart from women for a significant amount of time. That wasn't exactly considered acceptable behaviour and wasn't openly discussed, but that happened in times of war when things went bad and every man was desperate for any kind of comfort. Heero had known it happened and had never questioned it... nor had he partaken in it. It was a form of self-indulgence and his Grandfather had taught him not to indulge in anything.

Now however he was curious as to what had been taking place between those men. What exactly could two men do together behind closed doors? It was intriguing. He hoped he would have the occasion to explore the possibilities in the near future. As the saying goes: "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," so if he had to stay imprisoned among weirdoes, he might as well embrace his own weirdness. He nodded to himself satisfied with his conclusions.

He was hungry. That was a given: he couldn't even recall the last time he had eaten anything. He was unsure of what time it was but he hoped it was around meal time and that Shinigami's unexpected hospitality would extend to lunch. One could still hope. It was probably closer to dinner, now that he thought about it. His captors had been kind enough to leave him one of their saltpetre lamps and the cabin was bathed in that eerie blue light he remembered from the Duo's room. The window didn't offer any other source of light so it must be night time. He looked more closely at said window and amended his first impression: as in Shinigami's cabin, the panes opened on nothing but more wood instead of air. What could be the point to have windows if they were all obscured by panelled wood? That was one more thing that didn't quite make sense with this crew. And anyway, what were they doing onboard this little brigantine when they had one kick-ass frigate secreted somewhere. Unless the Deathscythe had been totalled by a rival ship and the news hadn't yet made it to Sank when Heero had left. God he hoped not. It would be a shame. Deathscythe was a damn fine ship that didn't deserved such an anonymous end. If anyone should sink him, it should be Heero's Wing and nobody else.

An ominous crack resounded suddenly from the bowels of the ship. The Captain Lowe was instantly alert. Did they hit something? A reef maybe? No, that didn't make sense: there hadn't been any impact. At the precise time he was thinking that, he felt like the room he was in was sinking, then it stopped and the motion went in reverse. It was so sudden that his stomach made his discomfort known and he had to clamp his lips shut to stop the sudden rise of bile in his throat. His sense of equilibrium was kind of thrown off balance by his nausea but he still had the distinct impression that the whole ship was rising. It was like they were caught on top of an enormous wave and he expected the ensuing crash any time now. Except it didn't come. It felt like they were suspended in mid-air. That really didn't feel like they were caught in a storm now that he was thinking about it and the sea had seemed calm just before the sudden sensation of sinking.

The whole thing made him uneasy. There was something unnatural going on and there was nothing he could do about it. The ship was now immobile as if time had stopped. Then the screeching began. He didn't know what it was but it was frighteningly loud. There was more cracking of wood as if the ship was being ripped apart and more of that unbearably shrill noise as if Hell Doors themselves were grating open. Good thing Heero wasn't the superstitious type or he might have envisioned scenarios of monsters and mayhem. As it was, the not knowing was still unsettling enough. He wouldn't say he was panicking because the Captain Lowe didn't panic, but he still would have felt better if he had had the assurance that his captors wouldn't forget he was there if they decided to abandon the ship. It seemed to last an eternity with no end in sight but when the noise dimmed before stopping altogether, he reasoned that couldn't have been going on longer than fifteen minutes. There was another unsettling motion; the room was sinking once again, but it was slow this time, almost gentle. After that, there was a last cracking sound and a very loud bang as if two enormous pieces of some puzzle had just clicked together in place. Or as if those doors of Hell had just shut. Heero didn't care much for that particular analogy but if that was what it had been, he could at least appreciate the fact that he hadn't been the one suckered down into the infernal depths. Unless the whole ship had been of course...

He was pulled from his apocalyptic musings by the sound of water cascading and hitting more water. Well, in Hell or not, they were obviously still at sea and the crew was... bailing out? You think they could send someone to explain things to their stowaway, but no, of course he didn't deserve such consideration. Heero looked on to the moon filtering through the window and pondered the injustice of his fate. Wait a minute! The moon? And there it was. No more panelled wood, the window was now looking out into the night sky. Is that what they had been doing? Opening the blinds? That was a little over the top. Heero shook himself out of his stupor: there was a good chance that he really didn't want to know what was going on on this ship. Save maybe for the meals schedule. He was still hungry.

------

Duo had wanted to let the Deathscythe loose as soon as the sun went down but there had been unavoidable delays. There was the usual maintenance, securing of the cargo and guns that were accessible while in Sandrock's form and there had been that pesky problem of their stowaway whose sort they had had to discuss. He hadn't foreseen either that Quatre would slip away while they were debating, nor that he would have to go into lecturing mode. Sometimes it sucked to be him. It was thus night already and they were still rigging their new black sails to the gaffs that would later be hauled up the masts. The main and fore masts were the same onboard the two incarnations of the ships, only the mizzenmast was Deathscythe's alone. It had made more sense when he was working on the schematics to design a system of pulleys allowing to switch gaffs and sails than to switch the whole masts. The latter would have implied to have the second set of masts stored somewhere on the ship at all time and those were freaking big sticks.

There were many sails and it was a fastidious task but that couldn't be helped. It would have been faster if their numbers hadn't been cut down so drastically by their latest misfortune. It wasn't like they could have had Dietrich's people doing it. They had been curious enough about the new sails when the Sandrock already had perfectly good ones, the extra gaffs would have attracted unwanted attention. Hilde and Dietrich might have known about the transformation but their employees did not and it would stay that way if Duo had any say in it. He wasn't overly worried about it; for all they were horrible gossips, the two Germans were cunning enough to know when to keep their mouths shut. Well Hilde was anyway and she would keep her Daddy in line.

Duo wondered idly how the Shipwreck's employees were explaining that they had never seen the Deathscythe and that the Captain Shinigami they knew he was, was always cruising aboard a modest brigantine when they saw him. Hmm... They probably entertained some ridicule delusions like most of the Caribbean population. He had heard a lot of half-assed theories on this matter while hitting the pubs. His favourite by far was that Shinigami had signed a pact with the Devil and could call forth the Deathscythe by spilling some of his blood in the ocean. The vessel would then rise from Hell itself to do his bidding as if he was a sentient infernal creature. That theory had merit... No, it had...seriously. Duo wasn't that far himself from thinking that Deathscythe was truly sentient; he often talked to him and if he wouldn't go so far as to say the ship was answering, he sometimes had the feeling that they understood each other.

Once all the sails had been rigged and all the gaffs secreted away in their hidden places, Duo ordered the crew in their quarters and went to his own cabin to activate the lever. The switch from one set of gaffs and their attached sails to the other was done mechanically as part of the transformation. At least they wouldn't have to haul the sails on top of everything. He couldn't afford to waste any more of their precious few time. The Sandrock was far too vulnerable a ship for his peace of mind and the sooner the Deathscythe was operational, the sooner they could go on on their journey. Duo hadn't forgotten that they had a curse to lift. He was also uneasy to have been forced to leave part of his crew behind. Their place was at his side and he would feel a lot better once they were well enough to be picked up. That was probably a silly notion as there was a good chance that the cross presented less danger to them while they weren't in its immediate vicinity.

There were a few things to do after the transformation, but they could have done those tasks in their sleep so it didn't take long. Howard had been put to bed, Hernan was on guard in the crow's nest and Quatre was still confined in his quarters. Auda tried to push everyone to attend the dinner he had miraculously had the time to prepare, but it wasn't the same when so many were missing. The crewmembers grabbed a few bites and went on their way. Duo sent Rashid to deliver Quatre's dinner with orders to let him go only once the man estimated he had been appropriately lectured. That was a little cruel of Duo as he knew that the big guard could be quite severe when he thought something threatened the well-being of his charge. Shinigami himself took the helm. It didn't need to be manned permanently and it could have well been left alone for now, but Duo needed to think and there was no better place to do it than here. He loved the sea at night. Alone with Deathscythe in the protective cocoon of the darkness, he truly felt invincible. There wasn't a problem he couldn't solve, nor a fight he couldn't win when he was Shinigami, let alone when the tendrils of night were cradling him like a favourite child.

Of course, acknowledging that he needed to think didn't necessarily mean that he wanted to. In this case he most definitely not wanted to. Duo knew himself pretty well and was aware that his thought process was seriously fucked up. He was reasonably intelligent, some people would even go as far as to say he had some kind of genius in a few domains --his work on the Deathscythe's schematics and his inherent grasp of navigation came to mind. However, when it came to mundane problems or anything emotional, he had learned to go with his instincts without thinking things through. This method could seem dumb to the uninitiated in light of some of the fucks-up that behaviour of his resulted in, but Duo knew better. In truth, all the problems he managed to land himself in because of his impulsiveness had nothing on those he created inadvertently while cleverly planning a way to get out of the first ones. With time he had learned to be a man of action not so much because he was one to begin with, but because it was one of those annoying laws of the universe that _"if he thought it through, he fucked it up."_

That said and regardless of his resulting squeamishness regarding deep introspection, there were some situations where thinking was unavoidable so he just had to take it like a man and pray all the way that a God he wasn't sure he still believed in would finally take pity on him. Lightening couldn't strike the same person so many times before unbalancing the world's equilibrium after all. In his present situation anyway there was a good chance that things couldn't get much worse no matter what he tried to make them better.

He was still not crazy enough to tempt fate by actually thinking about the curse or Kushrenada's plot: those things were under control since they already had a half-baked plan to deal with those. And as it was a plan that had been put together in five minutes, it might just work. No, it was better to keep his devious mind as far as possible from those problems. He had to think but it was simply good sense than to begin smaller. Especially when the smallest of his problems was precisely the one that confused him the most.

Well, it might not be especially clever to call Heero small because not only did he have a head over him but Duo also recalled with unsettling clarity the sensation of the man's virility pressed against him and there had been nothing small there either. And wasn't it just wrong that he should know about _that_? Oh yeah he remembered a lot of things from that night and not among the least that he --all Captain Shinigami and Ladies' Man that he was-- had had an explosive if fumbling orgasm in another man's arms. Duo had had countless lovers and tried pretty much all there was to do in a bedchamber. With so much experience, mostly dressed frottage shouldn't, by all rights, have felt so fantastic.

He could argue till he was blue in the face that the whole event had been non consensual and thus that the blame shouldn't be laid on his door, when it came down to it, he had to confess if to no one but himself that he had stopped struggling awfully fast. Before his little bout of panic and the consequent nasty flashback, he had truly loved the grounding weight of a hard male body pressing him to the mattress, the devouring kisses of thin chapped lips and the grasping caresses of big possessive hands.

If someone had asked him a few weeks ago, he would have sworn he wasn't interested in sexual intercourses with other men. He had been aware those were a possibility but his carnal adventures never pushed him in this direction. He could vaguely remember a few offers he had offhandedly dismissed in the past; he had simply found the very idea unappealing. Why bother fighting for dominance with another man when so many women were more than willing? The variety of what you could do with a woman --or two or three-- had always been more than satisfying enough for even his considerable appetite. He recalled with fondness a few orgies he had partaken in in Italy for example; there was so much to do, so much to learn. Now that he was thinking about it, those times had probably been when he had come the closest to lying with a man before last night and that had only been while they shared a woman or compared performances while each being busy with their own. But even in such a sensual atmosphere, even while drunk on wine and pleasure, he had never been tempted to touch the male bodies performing so close.

So what was it about the Captain Lowe that made him so different? Because there wasn't any doubt that he had wanted to touch the hard planes of that naked chest that had so badly distracted him earlier in Quatre's cabin. That wasn't either because his own body was remembering the delights of the previous night. If it had just been that, he could have chucked it out as frustration and go in search of a willing female. However he couldn't stop to think about that disembodied dark blue gaze which had haunted him since Sank and which he suspected now belonged to Heero. Obviously there were other forces at work here than mere lust, he couldn't help but think their meeting had been fated and that some Higher Power was pushing them together. After all, as Wufei had said, that wasn't everyday that respectable Navy officers went in pursuit of a pirate not because they wanted to arrest him but to molest him. The Captain Lowe was clearly as fascinated with Duo as Duo was with him.

At least, he was reasonably sure that Heero had no nefarious intentions where Shinigami was concerned. That was a relief because if any other soldier had managed to sneak his way onboard Deathscythe, Duo would have been forced to kill him to protect their secrets. He really didn't want to kill Heero but what else to do with him? Even if he doubted the man would talk, they couldn't take the risk to let him go and if they kept him, Duo would have to confront the feelings the dark Captain was awakening in him. He might even begin acting on them sooner or later. He wasn't sure he was ready for that.

Duo was interrupted in his musings by the feeling of a presence behind him. There was no telltale sound of footsteps as every member of his crew had learned to walk silently to play the role of ghosts people wanted to see them as. Shinigami however was so attuned to his ship and his crew that he always knew when one of them was approaching and could even tell which one of them it was most of the time.

"Quatre," he acknowledged. "Already done with dinner?"

The young prince huffed behind him. "That was hours ago Duo and I had an enlightening dinner companion to make me appreciate every second of those hours."

Duo didn't try to repress his grin, confident that even if Quatre saw it, he wouldn't be offended. The young man knew Rashid's lecture had been his punishment for being careless and a busybody and he accepted it, if with little grace. That was always like that onboard Deathscythe: punishments were dealt when necessary and could take on the strangest of forms. The offenders always accepted Shinigami's decisions on those matters and if they rarely apologized, they always found a way to make amends later. Duo liked it just fine this way; he had always thought men's actions spoke louder than their words. He wondered what Quatre would do to apologize for being an insufferable little meddler. Perhaps he would tone down on his Captain's teasing... Okay, _that_ was wishful thinking.

"So? What are you going to do about him?"

The question coming out of the blue threw Duo for a loop. He turned toward Quatre and donned a clueless expression.

"About who?"

Quatre snorted and gave him a knowing look. "The Captain Lowe of course. What are you gonna do about him?"

"Huh... err... nothing?"

The little shit had the gals to look dubious as if Duo was purposely playing dumb. Well he was but a polite subordinate shouldn't call his Captain on it. "What do you mean nothing? It's obvious that he fancies you."

"...but I'm not a fairy!" This cry had come from the heart and had not been thought through... obviously.

"Aaaah! So that's why. I always wondered at the lack of wings... but it all makes sense now."

The heady mix of righteous, dismissive and disappointed in Quatre's tone annoyed Duo.

"Hmm... you know what I mean."

His friend studied him intently, his expression contemplative.

"You know Duo, I just might know exactly what you mean and if I may: that's bullshit! There's something between you two. I don't know what exactly, but I know that much at least. You probably don't want my opinion right now, but I'm still gonna give it to you because it's what friends do. Whatever there is, don't dismiss it out of hand and certainly not for a misconception as silly as thinking it's wrong with both of you being men. There's not a lot of joy in this world, so the least you can do is grab every bit of it you can, while you still can."

Duo watched him for hidden clues that he wasn't his most sincere but couldn't find any. He took on a stubborn expression.

"That's easy for you to say _Your Highness_, but I don't see you making the slightest effort to find someone for yourself. I believe you left your fiancée behind with your kingdom... And isn't your God all disapproving about unnatural relationship like the one you're suggesting I invest myself in?"

Quatre took on a faraway expression. "Precisely _Captain_: I didn't want to believe in the precepts of men and thought that I would rather find my own truth. There will always be people who think you don't have the right to love people who don't have the same colour or the same religion as yourself. I refuse to believe in such things. The Allah I believe in is loving and I don't think he would be the sort to punish his children because they love, no matter who they love."

"That's all well and good Quatre but no matter what you say, even if I was interested in the Captain Lowe, he _is _our enemy. There's not much I can do about that."

"I wouldn't be that sure about that if I were you..."

Duo had an inquiring look and Quatre appeared uncomfortable for a moment. He always felt uneasy when he had to talk about that weird _gift_ he had that let him know what people were feeling around him. The Captain waited patiently for the moment when his friend would be ready to share the impressions he had gathered from his solo meeting with their stowaway. It came finally as he had hoped even if the voice was hesitant, as if Quatre still feared judgement on the occasions he showed his supernatural empathy.

"I... I don't know how to explain but... the Captain Lowe is not a happy man. There's something in his past that... weighs on him. I don't think he's all that dedicated a soldier. Or at least I don't think he wants to. Before you all came barging in on us, the most I could feel was misery, like it was seeping from all of his pores. But after you came in... it was different. It was like your presence alone was enough to make him happy, to make him question and... change maybe."

Duo was thoughtful. He had never mocked Quatre's strange abilities that let him feel more of the world than your average guy. He had promised himself that he would never do that: first because the Prince had suffered enough grief from it in his home country and secondly, because he knew enough of the world behind the world to know this ability was as real as ghosts and curses were, no matter what most regular people were lead to believe.

"So you're thinking he could be an ally rather than an enemy?"

"Yes. I think he's there for a reason and that your relationship whatever you decide to make of it was... fated to be."

Duo nodded, half convinced if still confused. Maybe that was as simple as that.

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Aryam**: I hadn't even really realized that I was writing Quatre abusing his position but I guess you're right. I'm glad Duo's coming along as finally more "captainey". Horny!Heero will be a quasi permanent fixture in the next chapters. Enjoy!_

_To **ES**: A genius I don't know but thank you all the same. I'm quite fond of that line myself, the picture of that scene in my mind is hilarious._

_To **Carmelapple**: I said earlier that I loved Trowa because I could use him to mock the other characters, but Quatre is a more than nice substitute, which is good because I have no idea myself as to how or when exactly Trowa will be back._

_To **Camillian**: I'm bursting with joy with all the praises my Captain Duo garnered this chapter. It's nice to know is believable and come out as a worthy leader. I'm continuing with my shameless use of pantomime for most of the less serious scenes so I'm glad that you're still finding it funny. _

_To **Guess**: Hey no problem, for once it's not me that keep you waiting; might be karma. Exams are more important than fanfics I guess and that is the reason why I don't miss college. ;p So you like Heero's new attitude? No worries there will be plenty from where it's coming from. _

_To **H To the Iso**: Pleased to meet you and to know you're enjoying yourself. I'm working pretty slowly but I promise I'll get you to the end eventually. Try to enjoy the scenery in the mean time. _


	21. The Trust's Hungerer

TITLE: **CAPTAINS**

FANDOM: Gundam Wing

PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background

RATING: R/NC-17

GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance

WARNING: yaoi, cross-dressing, swearing, graphic violence, sex

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue **poor** little me

SUMMARY: A huge reward on his head, a crew who doesn't take him seriously, a few vindictive ex girlfriends and a vicious curse which sticks like a bad smell. The fearsome pirate Shinigami thinks it can't get worse. A stalkerish Heero will prove him wrong.

Chapter 21: The Trust's Hungerer

Duo woke up refreshed shortly after dawn on the following morning. It had been pretty late when he had gone to bed after his chat with Quatre, so he had slept little, but surprisingly well. As a matter of fact, it was the second night in a row that he managed to sleep through the night in spite of the dreams that had plagued his sleep as usual. It seemed like his bout of insomnia was a thing of the past and he couldn't easily discard the thought that this unhoped-for remission came about at the same time that Heero had boarded the Deathscythe. At least now he knew what that expectant feeling had been all about: somehow he had been waiting for Heero. That didn't make any sense. He didn't know what forces were at work here but he wasn't sure he liked it. He wasn't all that sure that he could entrust his life in the hands of fate; she hadn't been very kind to him in the past.

He exited his cabin and walked on the deck, inhaling the crisp morning air which would warm up all too soon. He could see Wufei gracefully exercising on the afterdeck, his shadow stark against the glare of the rising sun. Practicing his weird Chinese martial arts at dawn was a morning ritual of sort for the young man and the sight calmed Duo with its familiarity. He was however reminded of their unusual state of affairs by the absence of Meiran who often joined Wufei in his exercises.

Duo looked up to the crow's nest from which Abdul waved cheerily. He took a few steps in the helm's direction but caught sight of Rashid already handling it. It looked like everything was under control. Hernan and Quatre were probably still sleeping as they weren't exactly morning persons but there was a fair chance that Auda would already be at work in the kitchen. That's where he went, thinking about piling up a tray with breakfast delicacies and bringing it down to share with Howard. His old friend was most likely alone in his cabin as Gene only slept a few hours a night and would already be locked up in the ship's bowels labouring over yet more schematics.

Auda beamed at him proudly when he caught his Captain sneaking a feast away from his kitchen. It was heart-warming for a cook to have people so appreciative of his talents. Duo thanked him cheekily and went on his way. Howard welcomed him with a chuckle and a ravenous expression. In spite of his horrendous nightshirt made of garish canary yellow velvet, he looked better that morning. He was still feeling too weak to reasonably get out of bed though. At least, his appetite didn't appear to be suffering and Duo felt somehow reassured. He had known the man for years and was used to him being a force of nature. He felt uneasy seeing him sick. Howard was probably the closest he had had to a father in a really long time.

"So, what brings you here Kid? Not that I don't appreciate you visiting me, mind. It's just that ain't really your style to play nurse maid."

"Are you implying that I'm not a dutiful Captain?"

Howard scoffed. "Ain't implying nothing you brat! I'm sick, not stupid and I know you well enough to know when something's on your mind. So, what gives Kid?"

"Will you ever stop calling me _"Kid"_? You must understand how inappropriate it really is by now..."

Howard gave him a worldly look. "Ah, you know Duo I'm an old man and contrary to _some_ people I'm actually _getting_ older. I'm set in my ways and I learned along the years that some things are better left unsaid. If something were to shake my view of the world at this point that'd probably drive me around the bend and as I have every intention to die of sound mind... well as sound as it gets anyhow, I'll continue to call you "Kid" for as long as I live. And no matter how old you are, you really _are_ a brat."

Duo grinned at Howard, silently acknowledging his reluctance to pursue that line of talk. It didn't really matter anyway. It had just been stalling; he'd originally come here to discuss something else entirely. He thought a moment about how to broach the subject then finally took the plunge, going for the direct approach.

"Well, it's about our stowaway... I'm... I don't know what to do about him. Quatre says he might prove to be an ally in the future but I'm just uncomfortable with the whole deal. I had this weird feeling since we left Sank: insomnia, nightmares and the likes. It's like somehow I knew Heero would be coming on board. As if someone... something was warning me. No, not really warning, preparing rather. I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Duo shrugged helplessly and hung his head dejected but Howard didn't keep him waiting for long.

"Oh but you are. So... did you sleep with him already?"

Duo startled and lifted his head fast enough that he had the time to catch the accompanying leer on the old pirate's face. "Howard!"

"I've never seen you quite that shade of red. Didn't know you could blush so pretty."

The comment only succeeded in reddening Duo's face even more.

"Oh come off it Kid! That's the problem with you youngsters, you always think you invented sex."

Duo pointedly ignored yet another inaccurate reference to his age and got back on tracks.

"But he's a man Howard. How can you speak of such things so... cavalierly?"

"_Cavalierly_? Don't get on high horses! So he's a man, so what? You won't be the first bloke to try a less white bread. When I served in the Military, I used to get it on with my mates even if I always preferred the ladies if they were available. Hey, Gene and I even tried it a few times when we got lonely..."

"Eeeeeew that's an image I so didn't need."

Duo looked a little green now and Howard burst into raucous laughter. He wondered how many shade of the rainbow he could make his Captain turn before the discussion was over.

"Ah well, not everyone can be as fair-featured as you two boys. If you gonna go for a bloke, might as well go for a pretty one and I certainly cannot fault your taste on that one…"

"That's true he's pretty for a man. Did you see his face? Soft as a girl, but he still can pull off the manly-man look. He must have some Asian blood… Japanese maybe; we Europeans don't have such sweet faces."

Howard stared at him blankly. "And _you _would be the living proof of that of course, what with your harsh features and all…"

Duo laughed. "Okay, you got me there Howie, but I am more the exception than the rule. When you get past the hair I don't look that feminine. I'm not petite or delicate, just small and young-faced." When Howard looked on skeptically he added: "I have neither a little nose nor a curved jaw, not like he has."

"Goodness gracious! You have it bad. I'm warning you that if you burst into lyrics, I'm outta here… even if I have to crawl away."

"Ha ha! Everybody's a comedian. I was just making an objective observation, there's no need to be droll. It's not my fault if that man has a girly face, it's a fact."

"That may be so… but I still think you have it bad." Howard dismissed Duo's growl with a grin. "You might be onto something though because I can't quite shake the feeling I've seen that face sometime in the past and I'd have sworn it was on a woman. It's familiar somehow… Does it ring any bell? My memory isn't what it used to be."

The Captain mechanically began tapping his fingers against his chin as was his habit when he was thinking. "I don't know. If I ever met a girl with a face like his, there's a fair chance I bedded her and I don't remember anything of the sort."

He made a dubitative little snort and shrugged but Howard wasn't to be cowed. Suddenly, the old pirate straightened and pumped a victorious fist in the air. He exclaimed in a triumphant voice: "Aha! I knew it! Remember that couple of runaways we took in when we were still running with Captain Haluk's crew?"

Duo took on a faraway expression and went back thirty years to those days when he was still learning the hows of pirating among a Turkish crew that was terrorizing the Mediterranean Sea. That had been a fun period of his life… well up until Haluk's betrayal and his subsequent near-death experience. Howard had been the one to fish him out of the water and to patch him up that time. He was not yet thirty at the times and hadn't hesitated for a minute to throw away the life he had known to follow Duo on an uncertain journey. He hadn't left his "Kid" ever since.

Relatively speaking that hadn't been that long ago and Duo should have been able to remember it well. The problem was that he had already so many memories in his head that he had learned long ago to discard the unimportant ones in a corner of his brain and to keep at the ready only the most relevant or formative ones. A human brain could only take so much and it had been the best way he could think of to keep his sanity or the little that was left of it after long past ordeals. A little dusting of half-forgotten memories was thus necessary in order to catch onto what Howard was talking about. In the end, it came back to him in flashes and it was almost physically painful.

"You mean the lovebirds we picked up in Spain and brought all the way to Egypt. They were planning to take another ship in the Red Sea to go to Japan."

"Yes that's the ones! The girl was Japanese and so sweet. They were eloping because the man's father didn't want him to marry a foreigner. That was a nice bloke that one and he was so obviously wrapped around her little finger it wasn't even funny. He had a weird name… Nordic, the name of a God I think… "Thor" or something…"

"Odin. Namiko and Odin. Sweet-faced Namiko and blue-eyed Odin… Heero would be the right age too…"

Comprehension dawned on Howard's face. He threw his hands to the sky before voicing their shared conclusions in a disbelieving mumble: "I'll be damned! Your Captain Lowe must be their kid. How is that even possible? As far as coincidences go, that one is a little too big to possibly wrap my mind around."

"Coincidences my ass! I told you there was something weird going on. For once I'd like not to be the butt of a cosmic joke. I don't know if it's Fate or something else that's doing this but I'd appreciate if whoever would keep their nose out of my business. So much for Mankind and their so-called freewill! I feel like a damn puppet."

Howard observed his distressed friend helplessly. He wanted so much to offer him comfort but knew it wasn't that simple. For all that he loved the kid like a son and even suspecting the other loved him like a father, they had also never shared a close relationship. They were tough men first and foremost and not the sort to indulge in displays of affection. The truth was that Howard didn't know if a gesture of comfort would be welcomed. Duo might be good-natured, small and young-looking, but he was still nowhere near cuddly. He had a core of strength that had been honed by years of hardships. Whenever you were dealing with him and no matter how goofy he was acting at the moment, it was hard to forget he was also the fearsome Shinigami. That didn't make him an easy man to comfort and yet God knows how much he needed a hug once in a while, would he only be willing to accept one.

In the end, the old man strengthened his resolve and following his instincts, put an arm around Duo in a loose embrace. It was awkward at first with the way the Captain initially tensed, obviously not knowing how to react. Growing in confidence, Howard pulled the other man a little closer and hesitantly ran a hand in comforting circles between his shoulder blades. Duo stilled once more before releasing a small gasp and years of tension and literally collapsing in the welcoming arms. Howard was a little out of his depths on that one but he was willing to learn and in that case that was all that mattered.

He enfolded the smaller man in a bone-crushing hug as if to hide him away from the world. He could feel the erratic breathing muffled on his shoulder and wondered if Duo was crying. He wouldn't have blamed him, even men as strong as his Captain needed to let go once in a while and the poor man had to put up with a lot more shit than most people on a regular basis. He didn't feel any moisture seeping into his nightshirt however and guessed that even at his most weary that was a step Shinigami wouldn't cross. He always said that men didn't cry.

Howard was amazed by how easy comforting came to him once his first inhibitions past. He had never had a child of his own and yet he knew instinctively how to cradle Duo against him, how to let him hide his face in the hollow between his neck and shoulder, how to rock him slowly back and forth. The nonsensical words to say to soothe and console came naturally. Howard had never felt so protective or tender toward another human being, but he wasn't that surprised: he had always known his Kid was special and not only for the special place he held in his heart.

He was glad to see how right he had been to think that Duo needed affection. He had often heard told the story of his childhood in an orphanage and suspected he had never known a mother's loving kiss or a father's protective embrace. Howard didn't know if his parents died or just abandoned him, he didn't think even Duo knew, but whatever the case might be, the old pirate sincerely felt sorry for them for missing seeing their boy grow into the fine man he was today.

After the long minutes spent in that desperate embrace, Howard felt Duo tighten his arms around him one last time before he began trying to disengage from the hug. Howard freed him immediately, knowing it had already been more comfort than he had ever hoped seeing the other accept. If the sweetly embarrassed blush, the bright eyes and the soft smile were of any indication, it might well have been enough too for Duo to go on a little longer.

"Thank you. I needed that." Shinigami said in a little voice before shyly dropping his eyes to rest on his hands clasped in his lap.

Howard brushed it off with a grunt, unwilling to undo all the good done by making a big deal out of it. He made a show of straightening his pillows and rearranging his comforter instead, allowing time for his Captain to pull himself together. When the other man appeared calmer and more assured, Howard picked up the conversation where they had left it as if there had been no interruption.

"Regardless of what you intend to do with the prisoner on a more personal level Captain; I think you should consider Quatre's suggestion about him being a possible ally. The lad is rarely wrong with those things and even if Fate or whoever had a hand in putting Heero in your way, that doesn't necessarily mean that it was for a nefarious purpose. The man is an officer of Sank and I think he would be as incensed as all of us if he heard about Kushrenada and Merquise's plans. Sank is a country of pacifists for the most part and I doubt they will see eye to eye with men planning world domination, no matter if the prodigal son as a hand in it. And we also know the bloke's parents were decent people, maybe the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree and he can be trusted..."

He purposefully used Duo's rank to address him in an unspoken affirmation that the emotional breakdown hadn't diminished his Captain in his eyes in the least. Howard rarely used the formal address and the message was heard loud and clear. Duo acknowledged it with an imperceptible nod and another shaky smile.

Shinigami was glad that his old friend was helping him to overcome his embarrassment. He knew he could always count on Howard to be there for him, no matter what "being there" implied that week. That's why he had come to speak with him in the first place. He knew Howard meant him well and he couldn't thus discard his advice easily. He wasn't sure he was ready to trust Heero though.

"I don't know. As a rule you know I don't trust governments and as I see it, a good soldier thinks, speaks and acts only at his government's behest. Yet you say I should trust this one to be different. It would imply not only sharing our knowledge of the plot we're suspecting but also all that business with the cross and even Deathscythe's secrets... It's a lot of faith to put on a stranger."

Howard had listened and understood Duo's hesitation to a point, but he also knew that a man couldn't do everything by himself, not even Shinigami. He was about to argue his case when they heard the heavy steps of someone coming down the stairs at a run.

"Captain! Captain!"

That was the voice of Auda and he sounded frantic. Howard and Duo shared a worried look, the thought of more mischief from the malediction weighing heavily on them.

"I'll think about it." Duo offered with a wary sigh to conclude their discussion before turning to the door to confront the latest problem to arise.

Almost at the same time, Auda burst through the door looking every bit as frantic as he sounded. However, upon laying his eyes on Duo, he looked instantly relieved as if convinced that whatever it was, his Captain would make it better. Not for the first time, Howard thought it was a lot for Duo to live up to and he wasn't sure that the pirate was even aware of this devotion he inspired in his crew.

"Ah Captain! There you are!"

"What is it Auda?"

"There was an accident on the deck..."

The man suddenly paused looking uncomfortable. He lifted a hand to his head and scratched a spot behind his ear sheepishly. The nervous gesture disrupted his ever-present fez till it came to rest precariously balanced on the opposite ear. He didn't appear to notice but instinctively tipped his head on the side to compensate, unconscious of how ridiculous that made him look. Howard smothered a chuckle that was surely inappropriate in the circumstances, whatever they were.

Obviously not so amused, the Captain prompted irritably: "Well go on. What happened?"

"Abdul fell from the crow's nest." Auda looked him in the eyes and shrugged helplessly. "There was a loose board or something and he lost his balance when he leant on it."

"Oh God! How is he? Is he okay?" asked Duo now frantic himself, standing abruptly and taking a few steps toward the door in his haste to go see for himself.

Auda stopped him with a placating gesture and answered in an unfamiliar tone that was somewhere between awe and disbelief. "Not too bad... considering. Rashid thinks his leg is broken though."

That made Duo stop. He stared at Auda as if the man had lost his mind. "A broken leg? That's it? What is he made off? Rubber? He should be dead."

The cook looked even more uncomfortable at that and dropped his eyes to the floor. "That's the thing Captain... Wufei kind off cushioned his fall."

"Beg your pardon?" Duo's eyes were bulging out now, he was picturing the scene in his mind and his imagination made it out to be quite gruesome. He was pulled from his disturbing thoughts by Auda who was continuing his tale, still refusing to meet his Captain's eyes.

"Wufei was walking under the crow's nest and Abdul fell on him... He's out for the count and he's going to have a big bump on his head."

"You're kidding right?"

"Afraid not Captain."

Then the poor man seemed to collapse on himself in a sudden release of nerves and burst into laughter. There was a fairly hysterical edge to it. At least that explained his embarrassment all along his report. Howard could sympathize: that must have been quite a comical scene out there on the deck and once reassured that the two men had no serious injuries, the relief must have made it hard not to laugh.

**----------**

It appeared that being unconscious was exhausting because in spite of his lengthy coma, Heero had still been tired. He had finally let himself succumb to sleep with a grumbling stomach some time after hearing the weird noises that had worried him so. Slumber had been effective in shaking the last of his headache and drowsiness, thus, when he woke up the following morning, it was bright and early. His very first thought however wasn't for his improved state of health but for his ravenous stomach that was making its discontentment known... vocally.

His board didn't include room service apparently. Well, that was a let-down. He noticed the tea tray still lying forgotten on the bedside table, regretting that Quatre hadn't had the presence of mind to bring in cookies or scones or _something_ with the tea the previous day. Of course the previous day, Heero hadn't really been in any state to eat --what with the nausea and all. Now however, he was in such a state of desperation that he seriously considered the possibility of chewing the used tea leaves. He then remembered the lemon drops and looked around for them, ready for once to overlook his dislike of sweet things. Unfortunately, the little candy bowl was nowhere to be found. It looked like Quatre hadn't been feeling so chastised that he'd forgotten to palm it while leaving.

Heero weighed his options. Quatre had been barred entry to his cabin and in light of the recent lack of food in his belly; he had a growing suspicion that the blond was the only person humane enough on this ship to feed the prisoner. The conclusion was foregone: if food wasn't coming, he would have to go looking for some, preferably before he passed out from hunger.

Standing up with the determination of a man on a mission, Heero walked to the door. He turned the handle and watched the door not opening. That wasn't exactly a surprise; he heard Duo push the lock in place after all. He swept an assessing look over the door, appraising its sturdiness, noticing the steel reinforcements with growing dismay. There was no way in hell that he was smashing _that_ door open. It would have been a bad idea anyway; he didn't want to attract attention. He flashed back briefly to Shinigami's warning to behave but shrugged. If the pirate wanted him to play nice, he should have first thought about feeding him. Heero wouldn't starve for anyone, not even for the admittedly pretty eyes of one Duo Maxwell.

So, seeing that the door wasn't an option, how about the window? He marched to it patting absentmindedly his still growling stomach. "Soon Big Boy, Daddy's working on it." Heero giggled at that; it must have been something in the air because he didn't recall being quite that insane the last time he had checked. He observed the window with relief; it looked much less sturdy than the door: he could break that. However, further observation showed him he wouldn't even need to. Luck seemed to be on his side for once as, contrary to most windows on a ship, this one wasn't fixed but actually opened.

Heero unlatched the window and pushed it open before peering outside. He was quite high above the water and he guessed this cabin must be on the upper deck. He looked to the hull above him looking for some protrusions he could use to climb the last few feet separating him from the deck. He was glad to note there were quite a few. He noticed that there was no blinds though and that disproved his half-assed theories of last night to explain the weird noises and the window suddenly coming clear. Writing that down on his growing list of things to ask about later, Heero climbed on the windowsill carefully balancing his weight in order to avoid an unplanned bath in seawater. He stretched his body of all its length and grabbed a metallic bar that seemed to be part of a complex armature serving as a kind of armour for the ship.

That's when it hit him. The Sandrock didn't have armour and neither was its hull painted black as he could now see up close and personal was the case for this ship. He obviously wasn't onboard the Sandrock anymore. He must have been brought onboard this new ship while he was unconscious. It wasn't any ordinary ship either: he was onboard the real Deathscythe. He had to forcefully suppress a burst of childish glee and concentrate on finding further purchase for his hands and feet. It would be well time enough to enjoy the wonder of his dreams coming through once he was done with the climb and in security once again. But God! It was _The_ _Deathscythe_!

Heero was in peak physical condition and managed to reach the deck in no time in spite of his excitement. Once there he looked up to the ominous black sails and took a moment to take them in in silent awe. He was really onboard the Deathscythe. He had step foot on a legend and even for someone like him who didn't believe that Shinigami and his crew were otherworldly beings, that was still an extraordinary experience. The Deathscythe might not have been a ghost ship but it was still an incomparable frigate. Heero had to concede that even his Wing which he was so proud of couldn't hold a candle to this beauty.

His pointedly grumbling stomach reminded him suddenly that he should forget about the sights and get down to business. He did a cursory survey of the premises and saw he had landed on the afterdeck, luckily hidden out of sight behind a few crates. He listened for any sound that might suggest people working about but there was nothing of the sort. That was unusual. It wasn't rare that ships of that size ran with fifty people on crew. Of course pirates tended to prefer smaller crew, but it wasn't that far a stretch to think that at least twenty people were onboard. So why wasn't he hearing anyone? The sun had been up for almost an hour now and sailors were known to rise up early, even pirates, so there should have been a flurry of activity on the decks and yet it was completely silent but for the soothing sound of the surf and the odd creaking of wood all ships made.

Heero peered carefully over the crates. His breath froze in his chest. There was someone on the afterdeck after all. It was that Chinese man Duo had called Wufei. He was practicing _taolus_, or a choreographed series of stances of Chinese martial arts for the uninitiated. Heero had a fairly good knowledge of martial arts and thus knew the terms. He could even tell that Wufei was now exercising in a kind of free style that combined _Nanquan_, _Houquan_ and _Wing_ _Chun_ amongst a few others he wasn't familiar with. All of those were fighting styles including the use of weapons, swords to be exact. Wufei's every graceful move was thus enhanced by the gleam of a sharp looking Chinese sword. Every stance was executed to perfection, with that mix of restrained strength and serenity that made all martial art a thing of beauty. It was clear in every careful gesture that Wufei was a master in his art and Heero would have liked to discuss with him about his practice, to compare the knowledge he had gathered travelling trough Asia with that of a true expert.

Without even realizing it, Heero had walked out of his hiding place and toward the mesmerizing show. He owed his still undiscovered state only to his silent steps and to Wufei's close-eyed practice. Even his breath was so shallow that it couldn't betray him, so engrossed the Chinese man was in his meditation. In the end, it was his untimely complaining stomach that attracted Wufei attention.

The reaction was instant; the ebony eyes startled open and zeroed in on Heero with frightening accuracy, there was a flurry of movement and a sword at his throat. Heero dodged and instinctively rolled away, but it was a close thing. Wufei went in pursuit and tried a slash to his stomach next. Once again, Heero managed to avoid the deadly sword with quick thinking and his own honed fighting skills. The mock fight went on for a while with Wufei attacking and Heero evading the best he could. He was unarmed and thus greatly disadvantaged, he knew he had no chance of winning, but also knew that, save for that first attack which had been instinctive, Wufei wasn't striking to kill. The other man wasn't exactly toying with him either, more like testing his skills. Heero knew enough about the philosophy of _Wushu_ to know that it was a martial artist's way of taking the measure of a man. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't disappoint.

Indifferent to the poetry of the moment, Heero's stomach complained once again even louder than before and both fighters startled almost imperceptibly. It was still enough to break their concentration. Heero was a little off in his next dodge and Wufei lost some of his restraint, resulting in a faint gash on Heero's still bare torso, just behind his left nipple. In honourable fights, first blood usually signalled the end of the hostilities and Wufei stopped before taking a step back. He watched Heero with a blank expression but his eyes glowed with appreciation for a skilled opponent. Heero bowed respectfully and Wufei reciprocated, a slight smile softening his stern features.

The Chinese's next action was to slowly lift his sword and to point it threateningly at Heero's throat. That was expected. After all, honourable fighter or not, Heero was still a prisoner and thus shouldn't be left to roam the ship freely.

"Should I ask how you managed to leave your quarters?" Wufei asked calmly with a faintly arched eyebrow.

Heero opted for honesty: "The window."

Wufei looked surprised. "Of course, we did forget the window, didn't we? You'll have to excuse that oversight. We don't keep prisoners that often, well... never really." he offered apologetically, before remembering he didn't have to apologize to the prisoner. He straightened and asked in a sterner tone: "Anyway, what would your reason be to exit your cabin? You really don't want to piss off the Captain."

Heero's stomach decided it was the perfect moment to express its growing frustration and Heero smiled helplessly at Wufei. "I've had nothing to eat for two days and I never promised anyone to let myself be starved. If it was in your Captain's intentions, I'm sorry to say that I won't take it lying down. Shinigami will have to take a more hands-on approach if it is his desire to kill me."

Wufei looked appalled at that. "Shinigami would never do something like that. Starvation is a dishonourable way to kill a man."

"And yet his actions or lack thereof speak for himself."

Wufei bristled. "You obviously don't know him. If Shinigami wanted you dead, you'd be dead already, trust me on that." He looked uncomfortable then and amended reluctantly: "He might have forgotten that you needed to be fed though, he can't be absent-minded at times."

Heero sighed but decided to play on the newfound advantage of being friendly with the natives which wouldn't work for long if he continued to question the great Shinigami's integrity. "Okay, I guess that was just another oversight. So would I be too bold if I asked for something to eat? I'll even promise to behave."

Wufei cocked his head as if measuring his trustworthiness then nodded. "Very well. I'll lead you back to your cabin and I'll see to it that you'll have a meal brought to you. You have my word."

Heero had a very clear idea of what his word meant to such a man and was satisfied that he would be fed shortly. He turned back in the direction he guessed his cabin should be and opened the way, all the time aware of the sword still held at the ready behind him. They went down a few stairs in silence and Heero recognized his door at the heavy lock distinguishing it from the others. He unlocked the door without hesitation, opened it and marched inside. He turned back to Wufei at the last minute and offered him a last nod, mutely confirming that he would be waiting. The other answered in kind before closing and relocking the door. Heero went back to sit on the bed, confident that the wait wouldn't be long now.

Without his knowing, the heavy door isolated a lot of the sounds from outside and he would have had to have his ear stuck to the wood in order to ear the ruckus that went on on the deck shortly after his renewed imprisonment. He stayed thus unaware that Wufei had been struck out cold by a flying Abdul on his way to the kitchen. All Heero knew was that a few hours later, he was still alone and even more famished. He was also feeling betrayed now. He had really put his faith in the Chinese man and was justifiably disappointed.

**----------**

At noon everything was finally taken care off. Wufei had been put in bed with a cataplasm on his head that would hopefully lessen the expected swelling. His ribs had been found bruised and had been dutifully bandaged. He had been left as comfortable as could be, but had still to regain consciousness.

Gene had proved helpful in making a sort of splint for Abdul's leg which had stayed his only diagnosed injury even after various thorough examinations. The rest of the crew was still left dumbfounded by that one and there had been plenty of manly back thumping going on to disguise the retroactive fear for what could well have been a much more tragic incident.

Quatre had been awoken by all the commotion and was left to entertain his faithful guard playing checkers. Hernan however, was still sleeping off his night-watch of the previous evening and if all the excitation hadn't roused him, there was a fair chance that he wouldn't be seen before nightfall.

Auda had prepared a cold lunch and left it to everyone to serve themselves and go eat wherever. Lunch had always been less formal than dinner on the Deathscythe and it would have been too disheartening to eat in the kitchen when there were so few people able to attend the family meal.

The Captain was left feeling a little helpless by that new development. He had taken his post at the helm and was wondering how they would make do operating the Deathscythe with such a reduced crew. Abdul was out for the count and God knew when Wufei would wake up and if he would be in any state to work. That left Quatre, Auda, Hernan, Rashid and himself as far as able bodies went. He was tempted to add Howard, but his old friend was still much too tired to pull his own weight and he didn't want to let him risk a relapse...

However you were looking at it and even if they were used to work with a small crew, as Duo preferred it, five men to operate a frigate was nowhere near enough. They might make do when all went smoothly, but with the malediction still lurking around the corner, Shinigami couldn't discount the high probability that they would encounter trouble before long. In an emergency, five men, no matter how good, would never be enough.

Shinigami had also taken the time to think about what Howard, and Quatre before him, had suggested. Trusting didn't come to him easily, life had made it so, but if some of his most faithful crewmembers were willing to take a chance on the Captain Lowe, then maybe, just maybe should he take one too. In the end, it wasn't much of a choice anyway because in his present situation he needed Heero too much to hesitate. Nodding decisively to himself, he blocked the helm in the appropriate direction and marched to the prisoner's cabin. It was time to assess the trustworthiness of one stowaway.

Meanwhile, said stowaway was sitting on the bed, curled up dejectedly over his maddeningly cramping stomach. He might have been left to starve a few times in his younger years as a mean of punishment, but he was coming to realize that it had been a long time ago. The Captain Lowe had had it easy these last few years doing the Colonel's bidding without complaints. He had forgotten how painful hunger can get when you're not yet used to it.

Lost in his misery and self-pity, he almost didn't hear the door unlocking and he barely had the time to pull himself together before his visitor entered. There was no way he would give them the satisfaction to see him break. He was somehow surprised to see Shinigami himself, but prepared nonetheless for the gloating that was sure to follow. He might be in for a lecture too if Wufei had revealed his little unauthorized escapade. Resigned, Heero schooled his features into carefully studied blankness. He wasn't prepared however for the opening question.

"Do you know how to operate a ship?"

Heero stared at his interlocutor blankly for a few moments, before his dumbfounded brain caught up with him. He answered then with wounded prided. "I am a Navy Captain!"

Duo cocked his head on the side in an annoyingly endearing gesture given the circumstances and taunted: "So? Is that a yes or a no?"

Heero refrained from shouting his next answer but it was a close thing. "Yes. That's a yes."

Shinigami's eyes met his and it was as if he could see inside of him. It was a little uncomfortable but Heero prided himself of not lowering his own gaze. At long last, Duo nodded. "Great. We're understaffed right now and I need one more person up there."

"You want me to work with your crew?" Heero knew he sounded somewhat stunned but he certainly had the right to be when he had been expecting to be punished or even killed for his attempted escape of that morning.

Duo however didn't seem to be in the mood to indulge neither slow nor confused people, and his following tirade revealed much of his frustration.

"Listen mate I'm having a really bad week. No make that a really bad _month_, so work with me here because I don't have the time or the patience to deal with you. If working for me offends your sensibilities, fine! I can put you in the hold. Of course you'll get bored and I know for a fact that there are rats down there, big and nasty ones. The only alternative is that you make yourself useful and earn your keep like any other stowaway who doesn't want to be thrown overboard. Either way's fine with me. You'll be out of my hair anyhow. So, what will it be?"

Heero carefully studied the dangerously pissed off Captain. When it came down to it, it might be a nice deal, even if he wasn't really sure on what foot to dance with this people changing their minds every fucking minute. He still wanted to ask something before taking a decision one way or another.

"Well, that depends… If I agree to work with you, will you give me something to eat? Because I am really, really hungry now."

"Huh?" Shinigami's violet eyes had grown the size of saucers. Of all the reactions he had expected, this one never came up and he didn't know what to say.

Fortunately –or not, depending on your point of view-- Quatre who was passing by at the time, hung his head on his Captain's shoulder and lectured him in a stage-whisper, all the while winking mischievously to Heero. "He's right you know Duo. The Captain Lowe isn't a house plant; if you want to keep him, you'll have to feed him."

Shinigami blushed prettily, as Heero had observed he was wont to do and stuttered cutely: "K-keep him? I never said anything about keeping him. I just thought he could be useful…"

"Oh I'm sure there are plenty of uses you could put him through." Quatre replied knowingly before strutting away with an evil chuckle.

Heero wisely refrained to comment and waited for Duo to regain some of his composure. Once the pirate looked somewhat calmer, Heero caught his eyes and offered humbly: "If you point me to the kitchen, I'll grab something quick and then I'll be all yours Captain."

Duo immediately ducked his head to hide his renewed blush. "Whatever. I'm sure you can find the way on your own. Report to Rashid in half an hour. You can't miss him: he's two heads taller than anyone on the ship." After that, Shinigami departed urgently without waiting for Heero's reaction. For all his haste, one would have believed the Hell Hounds themselves were upon his heels.

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To **Carmelapple**: I wasn't too sure about how a chapter without action or talk would be received so I'm glad you liked my littler foray into introspection. As for College exams, they are waaaay back for me. That's what I meant when I said I was happy not to have to deal with those anymore. _

_To **Guess**: Heero with attitude... we should have him bronzed don't you think? There will be a little more direct insight from Duo from now on, so I think you'll be satisfied. Well, it wasn't meant to be a present but it's all the better. Hope you did well and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you._

_To **Camillian**: I was afraid it would be annoying to read another description of Deathscythe's transformation but I thought it would be fun to write it in the pov of the innocent bystander without a clue. Happy to see you thought so too. I'm sure you'll appreciate the stomach's recurring appearance in this new chapter too. More HeeroxDuo shortly but Duo will be a tough nut to crack before they have a real heart to heart._

_To **Eve**: And yet, this new chapter was marginally longer in coming. Well, it's here at last and I suppose that's all that matters. I have to repeat once again that there won't be any 3x4 because I didn't think everyone suddenly turning gay made much sense given the era. So don't wait for it. But yeah more Duo from now on; he won't be so mysterious once I'm through with him._

_To **H Bto the Iso**: No need to beg dear, I have every intention to keep on writing as long as you readers do keep on reading and even better enjoying yourselves._


	22. The Witching Hour

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well yeah a new chapter at long last. I know it's been like forever since I updated so I put a little lemony bit in the end to sweeten the deal. Hope that'll help you to forgive me for my laziness. I've been valiantly fighting the attraction I have for a few other fandoms lately so that's pretty much why I haven't been writing Captains. My inspiration to work on this story seemed to have return this week so don't despair yet. If anyone knows a miracle recipe against lack of focus and/or procrastination though, please share.

Chapter 22: The Witching Hour

Once he'd been allowed to get something to eat, Heero didn't dally for long. He would have liked to contemplate the reasons for this sudden and unexpected trust or maybe to give chase to that blushing vision of a pirate, but some things came first. He was still bare-chested though and felt a little uncomfortable showing that much flesh. He pondered briefly the wisdom of ransacking Quatre's closet in search of a shirt but refrained. The Prince had been clear on his position regarding the violation of his privacy and he had no desire to offend neither him nor anyone on this ship if at all possible. There would eventually be someone to take pity on him if he kept strutting half-naked on the deck. There was also the endearing emotion the sight of his bare torso seemed to spark off in a certain Captain. His own discomfort would be a lot easier to tolerate if he could witness more of that unexpected blush.

Duo had been right; the galley was real easy to find. There, he was welcomed by a cheerful Arab who introduced himself as Auda. Heero would have expected more distrust or at the very least some reservation, but the cook was seemingly incapable of either. Instead, he sat him congenially before offering him a meal worthy of kings. All the while, the human tornado served him enthusiastic chatter to season the already delicious food. Heero listened to every word religiously while trying to disguise his acute interest: Auda might not have been saying anything of real importance but such a chatterbox was wont to let out one secret or another at some point. Heero had already heard about the accident that happened earlier on the deck. It might not have been crucial information, at least not in regards to Shinigami's secrets but that had at least comforted Heero on the fact that Wufei hadn't abandoned him. He felt better already. Moreover, if he could manage to visit the injured man, it might just be the way to appear harmless and to win over another ally on the Deathscythe.

Auda had been amazed --and pleased-- at the amount of food the Captain Lowe was able to put away, of course he hadn't been initially appraised about the man's exact state of starvation. Regardless, Heero left the kitchen a half-hour later to the sound of delighted comments and with a standing invitation. Life didn't get much better than that.

He was just exiting on the deck, his stomach finally silenced, when he collided with a wall or what appeared to be a wall until it moved and revealed itself to be the torso of a really big man. It was that same giant that had come bursting in his cabin the previous day and he looked even more impressive when he wasn't mothering Quatre to death. He didn't look particularly pleased to encounter the stowaway left to his own devices, so Heero hurried to justify his presence.

"Rashid I suppose? Shinigami ordered me to find you. He said that you would put me to work. So here I am. Heero Yuy reporting for duty… Boss?"

The giant snorted, clearly unimpressed. Okay, Heero's new found smartass-ness might not be appropriate in every situation but it wasn't exactly easy to turn off. He wasn't sure either why he had introduced himself as Heero Yuy when he hadn't used that name since he was a kid. It might have been in the subconscious hope to distance himself from the persona of the Captain Lowe which couldn't garner him much sympathy amongst pirates. It might just be working too, because Rashid wasn't looking at him like he was an enemy anymore… just like he was a brat and _that_ had to be progress… somehow.

"Rashid will suffice… _Heero_. The only Boss around here is the Captain and I wouldn't try too much of that attitude with him if I were you; he's not been in the best of moods lately."

Heero nodded as if in easy acceptance. Rashid didn't _need_ to know that he had no intentions to heed that advice. The man studied him and shrugged nonplussed. The barely perceptible twitch of his lips however gave away that he knew better. Heero had the nasty suspicion that under his stern looks, Rashid was the sort to enjoy a good fight and that he would like nothing better than to see their stowaway taken down a notch by a temperamental Shinigami. Well, at least Heero had been given a fair warning.

"For starters, you'll be appointed to the crow's nest. There are a few loose boards up there and I want you to repair them. I suppose that task is within your abilities?"

Heero bristled at the blatant insult and Rashid smirked.

"I expect you to keep watch at the same time of course. Do I have to point out what would become of you should you forget to warn us of any incoming ship, friend or foe?"

"That won't be necessary no," Heero answered meekly.

Rashid searched for signs of a lie on his face then nodded apparently satisfied. "Good. Do you have a shirt somewhere? Otherwise you'll burn spending the afternoon bare-chested up there."

Heero briefly pondered on how to answer that question. He remembered he had had a shirt on when he boarded the Sandrock but had no idea where it was now except that it was missing. He recalled that he had still been wearing it during his passionate encounter with Shinigami so he guessed it was safe to be honest on the matter, seeing that the truth shouldn't reveal that little secret.

"Well… I have no idea. I appear to have misplaced my shirt at some point while I was unconscious. I guess someone must have undressed me to take care of my injuries…"

Heero knew he looked dubious seeing that his only injury at the time had been on his head but whatever. Rashid looked him over carefully with as much skepticism which only worsened when he noticed the faint gash Wufei had put on Heero's pectoral. It was obvious that injuries to his torso had _not_ been tended. The giant cocked his head thoughtfully but rapidly gave up on finding a likely explanation.

"I brought some tools and planks under the main mast, so you can begin immediately. Meanwhile I'll get a shirt for you, as well as something to clean that cut. Even small wounds can take a turn for the worse in this climate."

Heero thanked him and went to accomplish his first incredibly dull task. He had a feeling the next days would put new meaning on the word "boring"...

A day and a half later, Heero was sadly able to confirm his worst fears: watching out from the crow's nest for non-existent oncoming ships had actually been by far the most exciting of the tasks Rashid had found for him to do. Heero was beginning to suspect the man had a sadistic streak. If they were really so low on staff, there should have been more relevant tasks for him to be doing than moping the decks, helping out in the kitchen and shining the crew's boots. Somehow he hadn't thought he would be learning the best way to peel potatoes when the Captain had asked him if he knew how to operate a ship.

On some level Heero understood that he was mostly needed in case something dramatic happened and that it was logical that he be put on trial in the meantime. Deathscythe's crew had no reason to trust him for now and that was probably why they were only testing him with boring tasks until a time would come when they would need him for something more important. Still, that rankled just a bit.

The other thing that annoyed him was that, save for Auda who chatted nonsensically and took pleasure in mocking Heero's cooking style, no one else was speaking to him. Well… to be fair there didn't appear to be that much people aboard Deathscythe, but of those who were onboard: most seem to be avoiding him. Rashid always gave his orders briefly before running on his way. He had been barred entry to Wufei's cabin and thus went his plans to make a new ally among the crew. They apparently weren't trusting Heero with one of their wounded and he had nothing more than his word to convince them of his mostly good intentions. Moreover, worse than not being able to make new allies, he hadn't been able either to cultivate the one he hoped he already had. He had caught sight of Quatre a few times but always at a distance and the mischievous prince hadn't offered more than a bright smile and disappeared before any discussion could be had.

Heero didn't know quite what to think about the entire situation but couldn't help but feel like a pariah. He had been so enthusiastic at the idea of mingling among people that might just be as weird as he was and had stupidly hoped that he would for once be able to fit in somewhere. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be and the Captain Lowe felt just as isolated as he had always been among his soldiers. He might not have been starving anymore but he was now hungry for attention.

The only two things that might have brightened his spirits were the possibility to investigate the Deathscythe and the presence of Shinigami. Problem was that he was forbidden to go anywhere else on the ship than on the decks, the galley and his cabin. He had tried to explore a few times between assignments but an ugly old man would then materialize in his way and threaten him with a broom. For all his cleverness, Heero had still to find a way to get past this most unusual guardian and he wasn't sure he felt up to the challenge. The man never spoke but he looked quite mean. As for Shinigami, he was on the contrary impossible to locate. Heero had caught neither hide nor hair of the man since the previous day. It was likely that he had his meals brought to him and spent the rest of the time in hiding even if Rashid and Auda had both sworn up and down that their Captain was keeping up with his duty. Heero was beginning to suspect that there were a number of hidden passageways on the Deathscythe that enabled Shinigami to come and go most effectively while avoiding Heero. That was the only explanation that made sense because the frigate, however magnificent, wasn't that big and it should have been impossible to keep missing Duo if he truly wasn't staying in his cabin.

More so, what Heero truly didn't understand was his status onboard the Deathscythe. Realizing that Shinigami's crew didn't want to be al buddy-buddy was one thing but they could at least have the courtesy to tell him what he was supposed to be among them. He wasn't trusted to be one of them but he was still allowed to roam mostly free and, while he hadn't tried yet, he had a suspicion that acquiring a weapon would be all too easy. He felt like he was suspended in a world in-between neither ally nor prisoner and up to this point no one had had the decency to give him any explanation. Indentured servants must have felt like that upon arriving in a whole new world to discover that they were considered lower than beasts --the few cattle which managed to survive the journey from Europe were actually treasured in the Caribbean. Heero felt even lower than those poor souls as he was already pretty much convinced that he had indentured his life and free labor to Shinigami without ever being told for how long or in exchange of what. In his opinion, it was past time that the Duo stopped hiding and came to discuss the situation with him. Fortunately, Heero had finally devised a strategy and if all went according to plan, he should be able to corner Shinigami that very night for a little one-on-one. Now, all he had to hope for was that the pirate wouldn't prove too distracting and that they would actually managed to have a reasonable discussion.

**------------**

Quatre was on the warpath. Swearing to his Captain that he wouldn't visit their poor suffering stowaway was one thing but that didn't mean he couldn't interfere in other ways. And it was getting clearer with each passing minute that someone **had to** interfere. It was usually Wufei's job to tell their Captain when he was being an idiot but in this instance Quatre doubted his Chinese friend would even be able to see what the problem was, especially while he had been confined to his cabin to lick his wounds. Wufei hadn't seen the pitiful Captain Lowe moping around the deck like a duckling missing its mother. Wufei hadn't witnessed either the fearsome Shinigami skulking on his own ship, perpetually looking over his shoulder and startling at every sound. It was getting ridiculous and as it had only been a day, it was only wont to get worse.

Quatre wasn't the kind of man to meddle in other people's business… Well okay, _that_ was a lie: he was exactly that kind of man, but even had he not been that kind of man, this particular situation would have pushed him to act contrary to his character. Having been cursed with the gift of empathy since as long as he could recall, it was terribly hard for him to ignore the feelings of the people close to him. He usually did his best to shield himself from everyone because he didn't want to end up insane but sometimes, when the emotions surrounding him were particularly violent, there was nothing he could do but feel them. Right now, he didn't think he could take much more of Duo and Heero's frustration, confusion and despair.

Rashid and Auda themselves, whom were by no means empathetic, had complained that Shinigami was acting skittish and had appeared worried about their stowaway's apparent depression. Quatre could well understand poor Heero's unease seeing that Shinigami had put him to work without ever explaining the situation to him. He must feel pretty confused and on unstable grounds right now. So much for Quatre's advice to afford the man a modicum of trust: it had obviously gone well over Duo's head. Another well-meant push in the right direction would apparently be necessary. It was fortunate that Quatre had a pretty good idea as to where his Captain was presently hiding.

He marched determinedly to Wufei's closed door and knocked loudly, then pushed the door open and entered without waiting for an invitation that might or might not have been coming --more plausibly the latter given Wufei's obsessive attachment to his privacy. The scene waiting for him inside the cabin was much like the one he had pictured in his mind. An unusually resting Wufei sulked; he looked very much out of place being so inactive even if the long suffering expression he harbored conferred an air of familiarity to the scene. In the darkest corner of the room, a guilty-looking Duo made valiant efforts to make himself invisible and, failing that, to hide an half-empty bottle of rum behind his back. Quatre snorted and shook his head: as if those kind of tactics had ever worked before.

Uncaring of his obvious unwelcome, Quatre dragged a chair over the short distance from the desk to the bed and sat at Wufei's side.

"How are you Wufei? Do you feel dizzy? Are the ribs hurting?"

"I'm fine Winner. No thanks to your lackey mistaking me for a landing pad!"

"Now, now Wufei, you know that wasn't Abdul's fault. He didn't mean to fall on you. That was just an accident."

The irritable Chinese would have none of that and continued undaunted on his rant. "Humph! An accident my ass! If that fool had been careful instead of recklessly playing around in the crow's nest, it wouldn't have happened. There is already too little discipline on this ship without your little guards getting out of control."

"Hey I resent that! There is absolutely no discipline problem on my ship," Duo intervened, forgetting for the time being that he was supposed to be hiding.

That was what Quatre had been waiting for and he took advantage of the opening in a falsely guileless falsetto. "Captain! I hadn't seen you there in the dark. That's so very thoughtful of you to keep Wufei company, especially when your time is so precious what with all the things you could be doing instead…"

Duo didn't answer but avoided his eyes and it was Wufei who answered, unknowingly furthering Quatre's argument. "It's not like I need a baby-sitter. I'm perfectly fine and if you would please let me go, we could both get back to work where we are probably needed when we're so much understaffed."

"You were unconscious for several hours Wufei and you're still much too pale for my taste. We have no urgent need of you up there so you might as well sleep the rest of the day away and we'll see how you feel tomorrow morning."

That was Shinigami's no-nonsense voice and Wufei knew better than to argue. He satisfied himself with a sigh and a disgusted grimace at the prospect of more bed rest.

Quatre however, had no intention to let the subject drop.

"You don't have to worry anyway Wufei: the Captain has found us free labour in the meantime. Of course that's pretty much slavery but desperate times call for desperate measures even if one has to sacrifice one's beliefs."

Duo growled almost imperceptibly but Wufei pounced upon the matter as Quatre had expecting him to. "_Free__labour_? _Slavery_? What are you talking about? What did you do Duo?"

Shinigami glared at Quatre who smiled back at him innocently. "Quatre is exaggerating as usual. I just put our stowaway to work because we need every able body and because that's the best way to keep an eye on him. He's not a slave at all."

"Well, if you make him work for you without pay, that's the very definition of slavery." The Prince pointed out impishly.

"Oh for God's sake! I _asked_ him if he wanted to earn his keep and he said yes. I don't see how that's supposed to be slavery. Gimme a break! And do I have to remind you that he's a stowaway to begin with? I would have been well within my rights to throw him overboard or in the hold instead of giving him a cabin and something to do."

"You meanie! I would have agreed to work for you too if my only alternatives were death or the hold!"

Quatre played indignation fairly well but Duo wasn't buying it and was growing more frustrated by the minute.

"Oh please Quatre; it's not as if I put a knife at his throat. Besides, you were the one who advised me to trust him."

"Yeah! Trust, not threaten! There is a significant difference you know. Did you even talk with him about his reasons to be onboard or about what you intended to do with him before putting him to work? You can be so insensitive sometimes."

Duo had had enough and appealed to Wufei with a desperate look, hoping that the Chinese man at least would listen to reason. That wasn't to be however and all he got was a disapproving look.

"You didn't even give him anything to eat; the poor man was starving. No one deserves to be treated that way. And I also think that you should trust him: he looks like an honourable man."

"Not you too! How would you know that anyway? You only saw him once briefly yesterday and you were then of the opinion that he should be treated like a prisoner and not a guest."

Wufei looked a little shamefaced and made a vague gesture of his hand. He was wary of revealing Heero's little morning escapade seeing how Shinigami seemed to already be badly disposed against him.

"We sort of… sparred yesterday morning and it was obvious that he is a man of honour. He didn't try to take advantage of the situation and he was respectful. He is a worthy opponent."

That was high praise indeed coming from Wufei but that didn't explain…

"You sparred? With the prisoner? And why wasn't he in his cabin to begin with? Did he try to escape?" Wufei was avoiding his Captain's eyes and Duo turned to Quatre with a satisfied expression. "You see! I was right! The man can't be trusted."

"I'm sure he had a perfectly valid reason to be out of his _cell_ and it's not like he did anything wrong while he was out. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Isn't there Wufei?"

Feeling guilty to have betrayed his new acquaintance, Wufei hastened to defend him with all the fervor and loyalty he usually reserved for his closest friends. "He was hungry. You can't really blame him when his stomach was making really atrocious noises. He even went back to his cabin without prompting as soon as I promised him I would bring him food and as far as I know, he stayed there even after I failed to return. That's definitely not the behaviour of someone untrustworthy."

Duo just shrugged, obstinately refusing to answer. The combined strength of Wufei and Quatre's unblinking stare however was beginning to wear away at his resolve. He took the bottle of rum out of hiding and gulped a few long swallows more to give himself a countenance than because he felt thirsty. He needed to think, not to be lectured. It was easy for them to preach for his leniency. They were still innocent enough to have faith in people. He wasn't so trusting and had troubles thinking past the maelstrom of the emotions Heero had awakened in him. Mostly, he didn't want to deal with the man in addition to everything else and he had naively hoped that if he could just sweep the problem under the rug for the time being, it would give him time to concentrate on what really mattered. That wasn't to be.

His friends might have a point though: he was being unfair with Heero. He knew better than anyone why the soldier had followed them and even why he had sneaked aboard his ship. Heero hadn't had any nefarious purpose; he had just been following his heart and thus shouldn't be threatened for his daring. Yet, Duo couldn't quite get past the fact that the man had upturned his universe nor could he help but to resent him for that. Maybe if the timing had been better would he have dealt with the situation a little more like a grown-up and not retaliated childishly as he had. Alas, Fate or whatever was responsible for the entire mess chose its own timing. That wasn't really Heero's fault and there was no reason to be petty about it. It was sure a pity: he'd always been so good at "_petty_".

Quatre, apparently estimating that the silence had gone on long enough, interrupted Duo's thoughts with puppyish excitement. "So... you are going to talk to him, to give him a chance?"

"I'll think about it."

Quatre frowned. "You said the same thing two nights ago too. What tells me it will be any different this time?"

"Quaaaatre, could you maybe stop nagging? We were talking about something else last time and I thought about it and that's why the Captain Lowe is now roaming mostly free on Deathscythe. So now, I am going to think about what we just discussed and maybe tomorrow you'll see some new results implemented. And again maybe not but whatever it will be, it is ultimately **my** decision because if I recall _**I **_am still the Captain. Not Wufei. Not you. _**I**_! So, I'd like it if you decided to show me at least _some_ respect and ceased to question each of my decisions."

Shinigami seldom used those little lectures that reminded everyone of his authority. They were that much effective for they were sporadic. It was a testament to the growingly out of control situation that it was the second one he had needed to impart in almost as many days. Worse even, he suspected that it would be utterly ineffective in quelling Quatre's stubbornness. He was sadly proven right by the mutinous expression darkening the fair features of the Prince.

"I never denied that you were our rightful Captain but as your Second, it is also my duty to call you on your bullshitting. That wasn't a new topic of discussion I raised up today but the exact same one as two days ago if merely more fleshed out. To be fair I even somewhat narrowed the problematic for you since the last time seeing that I didn't even push you about that other matter you were so embarrassed about."

Quatre mercifully shut up once confronted too long with his Captain's silent glowering but it was obvious he still wasn't backing down. He even had the gals to add a petulant "_so__there_" while raising his pointy little chin defiantly.

Naturally Wufei, whom Duo had thought cowed by his little lecture, chose that moment to re-enter the conversation. "What other matter?"

Duo had a distinct suspicion that his staying mute would be pointless and thus stayed unsurprised when Quatre answered with glee. "Our stowaway isn't in pursuit of Shinigami because he's a pirate or to avenge some slight or another but because he's carrying a torch for the pretty girl who duped the Governor's army our last morning in Sank."

There might have been a moan coming from Shinigami's tightly closed lips but it was mercifully eclipsed by Wufei's choking and Quatre's muffled snickers.

"But... but... there was no girl! It was Duo all along. He must have known that or he wouldn't have found us. So why would he still be pursuing Duo if he knows he's a male?"

Quatre gave his answer by way of a toothy smile before elaborating when Wufei continued to look stumped. "Well my friend, Duo may make a pretty girl but he's nothing to sneeze at either when he's all man. You might have heard that some people are not limited by gender?"

Comprehension finally downed on the Chinese's features soon to be replaced by a mounting fury.

"We found him in your bedroom. What did that bastard do to you Captain? I'll run him through with my sword!"

Wufei was already trying to get out of the bed in which Quatre was desperately trying to keep him when Duo finally gave up hiding his face in his hands and attempted to calm his subordinate.

"You will do nothing of the sort. The Captain Lowe didn't do anything I didn't want him to do."

"Aha! So he did do something!" quipped Quatre gleefully.

"How dare he invade our homes and rape our women!" added Wufei.

That last comment was enough to light up Shinigami's short fuse and he exploded in a tempest of rage and swearwords that couldn't bear repeating.

"That's enough! What I did or didn't do with Heero in the privacy of my own cabin is of my concern alone. Not yours! So Quatre you keep out of it and that's an order! As for you Wufei, I don't know where you got the idea that I was a fragile maiden in need of protecting but take your head out of your ass this instant! My virtue is in no more danger than it has ever been as I am perfectly able to defend myself against untoward advances if need be. Now that that's been cleared I want you Wufei to stay in bed and rest till the morrow and you Quatre to go back to your own quarters. Good! I'll be gone!"

Shinigami stood abruptly and swept out of the room with a flourish, slamming the door shut after him. When he returned not two seconds later and grabbed his bottle of rum as an afterthought, his friends sat perfectly still and not quite breathing until he had left once again. Long after his departure, they continued to mourn his typical good moods.

**------------**

Listening to Auda talking, Heero had learned that Captain Shinigami shared each task equally with his crew, never snubbing even the dullest ones regardless of his rank. Once he was aware of that, it had only been a matter of finding which of the tasks would place Shinigami in the less defensive position. The answer to that question was easy to come by for one who knew anything about sailing: when Duo would be on watch in the crow's nest, there would be nowhere to run. All the smoke and mirrors he used to disappear on the ship would be useless up there and Heero was confident that the pirate wouldn't go so far as to jump from such heights just in order to escape him. The Captain Lowe held no delusion that Shinigami hadn't already worked out that flaw in his systematic avoidance strategy for himself and he would thus most likely choose to take that watch at night when he believed that Heero was safely locked inside his cabin. That was however a gross miscalculation because nobody had ever come to block the window and the soldier was perfectly able to use it to escape as he had already proven once to Wufei if to no one else. Whatever the reason had been for the Chinese man not to betray that little fact to his fellow crewmembers; Heero would have to thank him.

He waited till a little before midnight to open his window and hauled himself on the ship's side and over the guardrail, landing silently on his feet. He was glad he had already made the climb once as it was a little more of a challenge at night. The ship was eerily silent and almost completely dark save for a few islands of blue light here and there. It was really like being aboard a ghost ship and Heero had to repress a shiver of unease. He couldn't let himself be distracted though; it was now or never. He crept silently on the deck, advancing slowly to the main mast. When he reached it, he looked up to the crow's nest which was bathed in complete darkness. There was no way to know if Shinigami was indeed up there but he had a feeling he was: it was closing the witching hour after all and which better time to catch a demon?

He grasped blindly around until his hands closed in on the rope ladder and began his ascent. His eyes were getting used to the darkness and it was getting easier to see. It was no reason to be less than cautious however as the thought of plummeting to his death was all but appealing. He moved swiftly but carefully, silent as a cat. It wouldn't do to startle his prey.

Meanwhile, said prey was not quite contemplating the meaning of life but wasn't far from it. Duo was leaning on the guardrail maybe naively trusting in the repairs the stowaway had done on it. His gaze was lost on the horizon in front of the Deathscythe confident that it was the most likely direction from which a ship could have appeared. There was no chance in Hell that a ship coming from behind would be able to catch them and one coming from port or starboard could be almost as easily distanced. There was something reassuring in having the fastest ship in the Caribbean and maybe the world...

He was also pretty confident in his instincts and if those failed for some odd reason, he still had an advantage over any other watcher with his formidable eyesight. He never really broadcasted it but everyone seemed to know all the same that he could see perfectly in the dark. There wasn't really any reason to explain this fact; it just was. To be truthful even for him it was a little bit weird to be able to see as well at night as at the brightest of the day. It was as if the darkness could hold no secret from him; maybe because he was a creature of darkness himself. And wouldn't it be pretty stupid if that was the reason he was unable to see anyone in a positive light and had thus such trouble to heed his crew's advice to trust Heero? He sighed quietly. He was doing much too much circular thinking lately. No matter what he was thinking about, everything seemed to come back to Heero.

He wasn't sure exactly what he found so disturbing with the man's presence. After all it wasn't like it was the first time that Fate seemed to have it in it for him, so why should he be so reticent to deal with the situation this particular time? He could recall a great many number of instances when the bitch had sent much worse his way than a sexy officer. So was it as Quatre implied? Was he so afraid to be attracted to a man that he refused to deal with the possibility? Fear. Not a familiar emotion for him to be feeling. When you lived as long as he had, you realized that there wasn't that much to fear in the world. He didn't think he was so narrow-minded though that he would fear his own difference. There were worse things to be than a queer and he had never balked when he was called any of these things, often with reasons.

And yet, he sincerely thought it was fear that made him act so irresponsibly these days. But if not fear of queerness, fear of what? Love maybe. That was a silly thought but... It wasn't as if he was in love with the Captain Lowe; he barely knew the man. It was undeniable however that there was a connection, a connection that just might lead to love... eventually. Duo Maxwell had never been in love. So how had he recognized the feeling? Had he felt this connection before? Toward one among his legions of lovers maybe? No. Not a chance! Toward a friend perhaps? Not really. He had connections with his friends of course but they were of another sort. They were less sturdy... or more brittle... something. They had been carefully designed that way so they wouldn't cause him too much heartbreak when the friendships would come to an end, when his friends would leave or die.

Duo had learned the hard way that a human being couldn't live without forming any connection at all. At least not someone with his personality. He needed some sort of connection to the rest of humanity in order to stay sane. However, even before that, he had learned that connecting too deeply could hurt and had approached his subsequent relationships with more caution... So was it that the source of his fear? Was he seeing another Solo in Heero? Was he afraid to connect with him as strongly as he had connected to his long dead best friend? But more worriedly, seeing that he appeared to be physically attracted to Heero, did that mean that he had been similarly attracted to Solo and just not known it?

With hindsight, that might not be that farfetched. Even when discounting the horrific events that lead to Solo's death and the guilt he couldn't help but feel in regard to his own implication, he had a suspicion that most people would think that the extent of his grief might be disproportionate for the death of someone who was _just_ a friend. Duo had and still mourned Solo like one would mourn a lover and he had somehow forbidden himself to love anyone else since him...

So that would be the reason he was so wary of Heero...

He had loved and lost and thus was so afraid to hurt again that he wouldn't take the risk to love anyone else. And he hadn't even known it. Well... not on a conscious level anyway.

So... yeah, people he loved would inevitably leave him, he would have to see them die, but was it really any reason to go and stop living too?

Was it worth it to go on like a zombie keeping everyone at arm's length?

When had he become such a bloody coward?

Duo suddenly felt a presence at his back. He refused to turn; he knew who it was anyway...

Great! As if the man weren't driving him crazy already he had to come up for a late night chat... The worse was probably that he knew he couldn't avoid a conversation with Heero without feeling even more like a coward than he already did.

"Will you make a habit of escaping your cabin against orders?"

Heero startled: he knew he hadn't made a noise but he wouldn't let Shinigami get the better of him even before the conversation started.

"I always follow orders; I thought I was overdue for a little mutiny."

Duo shrugged, never looking away from the horizon. "I wouldn't know. I never tried to live up to anyone's expectations."

"That must be easy. Being a pirate that is. No pressure, no one to tell you what to do or whom to pander to... You're lucky, you have a great life."

Duo let out a humorless chuckle. "Well that's easy for you to say. The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence." He sighed. "If you had lived my life you wouldn't find it that great… I didn't like it much in the beginning; I just sort of grew into it in recent years."

Heero stepped a little closer in the hope to see his interlocutor's features better. "Maybe," he conceded. "_My_ life sucks though…"

"Oh come on Captain! Whatever would you mean? I hear you are the most prestigious officer in Sank and you are going to marry the lovely and fabulously rich daughter of the Governor. You have plenty of reasons to want to get back to your awesome life as soon as possible."

"Well… I have it under good authority that my fiancée isn't faithful to me. She seems to have a thing for dashing pirates." Heero cracked.

He arched an inquisitive eyebrow and Duo glanced over his shoulder and offered him a little apologetic grin.

"Ah yeah… sorry about that mate."

Heero chuckled. "Don't bother. You saved me the chore of deflowering the twit myself and I had no desire to marry her to begin with… My grandfather is making me… That's political I guess."

Duo threw another glance over his shoulder, incredulous this time and burst into laughter. Seeing the hurt expression on Heero's face, he tried to contain his hilarity.

"I am not in the business of deflowering maiden mate and your Relena was certainly no virgin. Anyway, it's reassuring to know you didn't actually choose to marry her. I was seriously beginning to doubt your sanity."

"You're the one sleeping with her, so should I doubt yours?"

Duo sniggered a little at that. "Do not worry. My sanity's not in doubt; it is a certainty that I lost it quite a long time ago. As for the Governor's daughter, there is quite a difference between spending a night in her sheets and spending your life by her side. Sex is just that: sex! We reprobates have to take it where we can find it."

Duo had returned his attention to the sea and Heero seized the occasion to get closer, a lot closer. When he talked, his breath brushed the pirate's ear and made him shiver.

"So Duo, if sex is no big deal and so hard to come by, why don't you want to talk about the other night? I'm still offering in case you were wondering."

Duo forced himself not to move. "I don't recall there being any offer Captain, just you taking what you wanted."

Daring, Heero leaned a little more, plastering himself against Duo's back and kissed him lightly on the temple. "Just admit that you liked it too… and you're still not pushing me away."

Duo sighed once more but still didn't move one way or another. "You don't know what you're doing Heero. You said it yourself: that's the first time you ever rebelled. You're just after a cheap thrill. You'd be better looking for a nice girl to marry. It doesn't have to be Relena; I'm sure your grandfather would be pissed enough without you going for a male pirate."

The soldier bristled offended. "You really think I don't want that? I'm not a kid you know. I want you."

He grabbed one of Duo's bony hip and clutched him to himself. With the pirate's butt pressed against Heero's nether regions there was no mistaking the rock-hard erection there. "Does it feel like I'm forcing myself to piss off my family?"

Duo felt his own penis swell with an answering need but he forced himself to argue some more. "That means nothing. Maybe danger makes you hot. I'm dangerous and I'm your enemy. It would be madness to pursue anything of the sort."

Heero bit the shell-shaped ear that was so tantalizingly close before giving it a playful lick. Duo moaned.

"See. You are not my enemy if you don't want to be."

Duo had more and more trouble staying coherent when the other had begun rocking sensually against him while caressing his hip at the same time. "You… AH! You're a soldier. I can't trust you."

Heero nudged Duo's head on the side and attacked the neck thus revealed with teeth and lips. "I told you I didn't want to be a soldier. You already put me to work on your ship… I could stay…"

He bit sharply at the point between neck and shoulder before soothing the hurt with his tongue; Duo gasped.

He regained his bearings fast though. "Are you listening to yourself? You can't just give up who you are on a whim. I couldn't trust you… you'll leave."

"But I'm here now…"

Duo tried to shake out of the embrace for the first time. "Let me go!" Heero used his other arm to impede his movements and held him closer. He froze only when he felt the sharpness of a blade at his throat. The pirate was dexterous; you had to give him that. Heero hadn't even felt him go for his dagger.

"You see! I'm dangerous. Let me go!"

Heero hummed thoughtfully, nicking himself on the blade in the process. "Do you plan to use that?" The hand that was clutching Duo's hip relaxed, but far from moving away, it slithered in the direction of the pirate's groin and pressed familiarly the bulge it found there.

Duo swallowed audibly and the dagger clattered on the floor.

"I thought not." Heero observed smugly.

The pirate's body tensed minutely as if his mind was still trying to come up with something, some sort of argument that would make the other retreat but none must have been forthcoming because he was soon melting against Heero. For the first time ever Shinigami surrendered…

It was a beautiful moment and the Captain Lowe ached with the awe it deserved. It was like witnessing the taming of a wild animal. Not its put down: because the ability to bite was there still, but it was that amazing moment when trust was established, when the predator decided not to bite your hand and to accept instead to be fed by it. It was a pity there wasn't more light because Heero would have loved to see the expression on Shinigami's features. As it was, he would have to be satisfied with hearing him purr. And purr he did. At least that was what the constant little whimper he was trying to keep at the back of his throat sounded like; it was glorious.

Emboldened by his victory, Heero didn't wait to partake in the spoils of this sweet war. His hands were almost as clever as Duo's and soon he had them under clothes shoved hastily aside. One of them had infiltrated under the pirate's shirt, its fingers teasing a nipple to tautness. The other, far more daring, had managed to unlace the fastenings of the trousers and had found flesh.

Heero was grasping Duo's member firmly, gauging its weight, its heat against his palm, not allowing himself any hesitation at the newness of it all for fear that the other would bolt at the first sign of weakness.

The feeling was alien and yet not: it was a little bit like masturbating but the shape, the proportions were all wrong and yet never righter. The sensory input from his own penis was also missing of course. The feeling of his hand squeezing his own flesh was replaced by the friction against a deliciously yielding butt. Yet it wasn't as comfortable or as pleasant as one would have thought because Heero couldn't be bothered to spare a hand to take himself out of the constricting pants. The cheap cloth didn't have much give and was rough against his sensitive skin, but it didn't matter. Two width of cloth away, it was _Duo's_ ass against his cock and _that_ was all that mattered.

The pirate wasn't exactly passive either. He was rubbing against him wildly as if bent on imprinting his scent allover Heero. He was bucking madly, answering Heero's thrusts with pushes of his own hips, grounding against the soldier with more strength each time as if he wanted to burrow in his embrace, to disappear in it.

The purr was still there, only getting louder. Yet he managed to make other sounds as well: pleading moans and mumbled expletives mostly. It was not actual speech; he was far too excited to be coherent but he managed to make himself understood anyway. Heero adjusted the pressure of his hands accordingly. The one that held the pirate's dick began a slow rubbing movement, soon accelerated to obey the barely comprehensible directives that were still coming. Sometimes the rhythmic movement would stop and Heero's fingers would go on a little teasing exploration, going up for a caress to the head or going down to pat at the balls which felt tighter each time. When Heero would do something especially pleasing, Duo would ground against him with yet more enthusiasm and groan approvingly. Heero would then grunt against the throat he was still laving with kisses.

The soldier's own pleasure only came as an afterthought; all he was concerned about was to please the man who felt so wanton in his arms. Each moan, each gasp, each shiver of the pirate was a small victory, a deep thrill that was much more pleasurable than his own physical satisfaction could ever hope to be.

It could have been going on for minutes or for hours; they would have been hard-pressed to decide between one and the other. No matter how long the encounter lasted for, it still ended too soon.

Duo's entire body froze then started to shake uncontrollably as if in a seizure. He came with a garbled cry. Heero felt the heavy cock pulse in his hand and he felt ecstatic to have brought his lover to orgasm as well as oddly bereft that it was already over. He would have liked to go on until dawn…

So overwhelmed was he that he almost didn't notice he had reached his own peak. He felt like his own pleasure was just a bonus and not worthy of notice; it hadn't been about him anyway.

They were both sticky and frazzled, Duo even more so than Heero with all his clothes in disarray and his now limp manhood still carelessly exposed to the warm night air. Shinigami had let himself sag against Heero; he was a reassuring weight against his chest. The brash young man didn't look so tough anymore. The profile Heero could barely distinguish in the dark appeared softened. The soldier wasn't fooled though; he could still feel the more than adequate muscles tightening and relaxing in turn with each tremor still shaking the deceptively lean frame. It was a moment stolen from time and Heero felt like reality would ascertain itself again all too soon.

Duo stilled suddenly as if he had heard Heero's disheartening thoughts. The soldier sighed but loosened his embrace. The following curse was loud in the silence and Heero startled a bit.

"Bloody Hell! I'm gonna kill the bastard this time!"

Heero thought it prudent to take a few steps back, just in case and tried to reason with the man. "Now, that's a little over the top… you could have stopped me at any time…"

Duo silenced him with a vague gesture without diverting his attention from a point far away in front of him. "Not you moron! Him!" he said while pointing a finger toward a vague shape which was barely distinguishable from the surrounding darkness on the horizon.

Intrigued, Heero took a chance and came near Duo again, squinting in the darkness in the hope to see what the other was seeing. Whatever it was, it was too far away for him to see. In spite of his own average eyesight, he still found himself limited when in nearly complete darkness. Shinigami obviously had no such limitations, if he was able to identify the vague shape that was coming their way.

"Is it a ship?"

Duo nodded. "Yes… I have to go wake the crew. There's going to be a battle before the night is over."

He was already moving toward the rope ladder when Heero stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "How do you know if they are friends or foes? The ship's too far away still to know who it is."

"I know. I'd recognize that ship anywhere. Now let me go before I lose my patience." Duo then shrugged his hand off and started to climb down with urgency. However, just before his head disappeared in the darkness below, he stopped and stared up at Heero with an unidentifiable emotion. After a while he nodded to himself. "Do not worry: there shouldn't be any conflict of interest where you're concerned. It's not a ship from Sank and you wouldn't like that particular Captain anyhow." He hesitated for a moment before adding: "If you want to make yourself useful, keep looking on the horizon so we'll know how much time we have before he gets here. I'll call you if I need you for something else."

Then he was gone.

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_Reply to Reviewers:_

_To __**Confused**__: Welcome among the readers (if the sweet time I took in updating this time didn't chase you away that is). Glad that you enjoyed it so far. As for Duo's age I have only one thing to say: "We have a winner people!" You are actually the first to pinpoint this little discrepancy which of course isn't one but a part of the plot to which I've been hinting about for a while. You'll know more about that in later chapters._

_To __**Camillian**__: Glad you like the new diversity in the more recent chapters. I wasn't sure how the transition from the alternating pov would go now that the story picks up a little speed and thus get a little more difficult to follow. Guess that doesn't read too badly. I'm actually disappointing that nobody noticed something fishy about Duo's age before this chapter where I had to kind of give it away instead of hinting like I had been doing here and there until now. To answer your question though: yes Duo is older than Heero... and I don't plan to say anymore for a while._

_To __**Carmelapple**__: I'm happy everyone seemed to think this chapter was funny in spite or maybe because of the bad luck to be had by all. It's never easy to write something funny because as witty as you think you are, there is always that chance that your jokes will fall flat. I hope you'll like how I manage to integrate Heero with the crew and won't be disappointed that it is still only a partial integration in chapter 22._

_To __**Guess**__: I actually like the potential Heero's character has for writers once you get passed that stone wall impression he's so famous for so be warned that there will be a fair amount of mean thing I still plan to do to him before the story comes to an end. As for Quatre he will also have more interesting parts to play and I hope I'll manage to keep him entertaining. Congrats for your exams even if it seems kinda lame to offer them after so much time._

_To __**H to the Iso**__: Hopefully you'll continue to love it even with the abyssal gaps between updates. ;(_

_To __**A.**__**Minamino**__: Well i'm finally updating again so I guess that makes us even. :) And yeah I totally get the "cute and funny with a dark twist". That was kind of the point because as much as I like to write angsty stories I don't find them palatable without all the bright spots._

_To __**Silverfox**__: I am so sorry I am not updating and I don't even have any valid excuses but I repeat the promise I made that come hell or high water, I will finish this story (hopefully before all my readers have grown out of this fandom). After that many years of repression, Heero has a lot to make up for so I decided he'll keep his brand new funny bone for a while longer. Enjoy!_


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